Simon says

 Sometimes the weekend is just epic.  We're on the Costa Blanca, favoured holiday spot of literally millions of British people every year, plus a whole load of other northern Europeans in need of a shot of Vitamin D, or more likely in search of sun, sangria and, let's be honest, sex.  Most of them are here for everything that happens within a hundred metres of the beach.  But just a few kilometres further back, there are some quite dramatic mountains, rising over a thousand metres, looming in the background, providing some added drama to the daily sunset show as the heat of the day gives way to the sultry night. Oops, back to the blog Milton. We figured out what this mountain was, and that unless you had a full mountaineering rig with you, you were not likely going to the top, likened as it was to the mythical Cuillin ridge on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.  However, we did find a tantalising route around the mountain, and so off we went on Saturday morning, park...

  It's Monday evening, I'm sitting in the front room of the Payne's apartment in Moraira, looking at that view.  On the right is the silhouette of the Sierra de Bernia, around which we hiked on Saturday (more of that later). I've just been for a swim doing laps across the bay at the El Portet beach, before coming back for the end of the kids' online classes and my daily session reading Harry Potter (Goblet of Fire in case you were wondering) before bed. It can be hard to capture these moments.  There are many of them, new experiences everyday. Last Wednesday we got up early and waved the Payne's off for their trip back to England.  We spent the rest of the morning moving from the bottom of one apartment block to the sixth floor of another, from where we have spectacular views of the Mediterranean (and did I mention free accommodation?).  We managed a quick dip before getting back to school. Virtual school starts at 9am in Ottawa, 3pm in continental Europe. ...

 Back in the 1970s, Ed's grandparents bought a modest apartment on the sixth floor of the only tower block in Moraira, with stunning views of the Mediterranean.  Ed has been coming here since he was little and so we have not only had the pleasure of the Payne family's company, but also an in house tour guide to boot.   Felicity and Toby are doing online school which is broadcast from Ottawa, six timezones behind us.  Although this allows us a good part of the day to do fun stuff, the weekends are an opportunity to really let loose. On my first Saturday on the Costa, we headed inland to Guadalest, one of those amazing ancient hill settlements, found all over ancient battle-ravaged Europe.  A little touristy but the pot should not call the kettle black, and really it was all lovely nevertheless.  Another shady lunch spot, some more strong coffee and a gentle stroll over foot-worn cobbles up to some pretty views.  Sam and Toby, Guadalest Overlooking ...

Felicity and Toby were born 19 months apart. They have become very close friends and playmates and it has been wonderful to be witness to the hours of growing and developing that they have done next to each other. The one thing I probably didn’t foresee or take into consideration was how having two siblings so close to each other would actually pull each as individuals away from us as parents. One of the things that we’re trying to do during this year off is to spend time one on one with each of our kids. This is been very occasional so far. But this morning I went on a walk with Toby into Moraira. We were heading to the market to meet the Paynes, and he wanted to show me the castle. One of my favourite things to do with the kids is to go to a café. I love the relaxation and the opportunity to chat with either Felicity or Toby.  As a side note I ordered my coffee with milk on side, which duly arrived with an additional small glass of cream.  Very pretty. As I explored the crea...

Wednesday, September 15th Freed of some of the uncertainty of my mystery medical problems, I could now to my attention to the logistics of getting to Spain to join the family as quickly as possible. First a nod to modern technology: after getting my ultrasound I was able to use my Internet-enabled telephone to straightaway rebook my flight (for the second time), with the added bonus that in these Covid times there were no change fees. I could also call the car rental company, get directions to their office and easily drop off the car. And perhaps a final ode to England, the land of my upbringing and one of the homes that I hold in my heart. Google gave me three options for walking to the station; I chose the scenic one which was only marginally longer and soon found myself wandering along the River Wey in the middle of the large city of Guilford. In all my years of living close to the city I don’t think I’ve ever walked on this path. I probably vaguely knew it was here but rarely had c...

I think this blog should be warts (or in this case lipomas) and all. So far we've been incredibly fortunate to have had a great deal of plain sailing, but it would be totally unrealistic for it to be this way for the entire 14 months that we have off work.  But, spoiler alert, it works out fine, definitely a speed bumb. For the past many years I have had a generously proportioned lipoma stuck to the side of my rib cage. Quite a long time ago I had it investigated, scanned, examined, and it was deemed to be not problematic, except for the fact that, somewhat unusually, it was under the muscle fascia instead of just under the skin. This meant that it would be harder to remove so the recommendation was to leave it as is.  Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and I felt some additional nodules. Given that we were just about to head off to Europe, where I don’t speak the language very well and I don’t know the system, I decided to register as a visiting patient in the local doctor...

  No need to visit London We don’t go to many theme parks, but the opportunity to go to Legoland after the schools had gone back was too good to pass up. It was a roasting hot day, 29°, which is almost as hot as it gets in England and felt really hot even though we’re quite used to 35° and humidity in Ottawa. We had nothing to compare it to but most of the lineups were five, 15 or maybe 25 minutes instead of 45 minutes or an hour. As we jumped on the first ride, I found myself thinking this is a fantastic family activity and so exciting and we just don’t do it often enough and we should do it more! Some of my enthusiasm had waned four or five hours later. As the park got busier and my tolerance of other human beings diminished. But all in all it was fun and we finished the day in miniland which recreates notable places around the world. Sibling love watching the Lego Friends music show Can you spot Windsor Castle in the background? Splash down! This is a model of the Aigille du Mid...