Mmm - must be in the genes!!!

Uncle S entertaining the children!!!!!

Last evening - dinner with the family

A great evening had by all.

Last day on the beach - Fri 28th Aug

The sun was out but the wind came too - we were nearly sandblasted and had to find ourselves a new beach today. Luckily we found one with a walled pier and were able to take shelter from the wind.

Oops

Z took an unscheduled dip fully clothed in the sea!

Budding master builder - Thurs 27th Aug

AJ spent ages building his monster sandcastle (with a little help from Daddy).

Surf's up

Height of fashion on the beach - Thurs 27th Aug

Thursday dawned cold, wet and grey but the kids wanted to visit the beach again. Off we went with picnic and lots of optimism!! It was freezing cold yet the lure of the sea was irresistible! A unique fashion sense was called for.

Shopping Day - Tues 25th Aug

Only Mrs H could find loads of clothes bargains whilst on holiday. The kids were more impressed with their treat from the toy shop!!

First day on the beach - Mon 24th Aug

The weather held out for us to spend our first day on the beach.

Teddy Bears' Picnic day out at Jersey 'Zoo' - Sun 23rd Aug

A beautiful sunny day in Jersey and it was the annual Teddy Bears Picnic day at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation park (known as the 'zoo'). Teddies and picnic in hand we spent a lovely day with Granny and the favourites were definitely the meerkats, monkeys and the ice lollies!!!!

Arrival in Jersey - Sat 22nd Aug

The flight was non-eventful from IOM to Jersey until the last 10 minutes descent into the islands when Z's ears decided to really hurt. All I can say is that it was a good job the plane was half-empty and no-one was in the seat in front or behind me. The screaming was horrific but stopped the minute we landed!! I'm sitting elsewhere on the way back!!!

Immediately upon arriving in Jersey (well actually we did stay in long enough to say hello to Granny!!), we popped out to the local parish summer fete. The usual round of suspect activities were available including merry-go-round, candy floss, ice-cream, coconut shy, burger and hot dog stand and local fire engine which the kids could have a go of the hose (unfortunately, it had to leave suddenly on a 999 call to deal with a chip pan fire!!!). As to be expected the children enjoyed every minute of it!!

Creativity is not always a good idea!

Whilst writing and uploading these latest entries, Z has been busily decorating various items in the kitchen with glue and sticky metallic shapes. The coaster box now has had a makeover and I believe that the table, chairs and floor are all looking very sparkly!!!!!

Creativity at it's best

Young AJ decided at teatime that he was going to make a kitchen table version of the gameshow 'Goldenballs' much to our dismay (as it sounded very long-winded!). Mummy suggested using the name badges and making our own designer headgear which was loads of fun and definitely a lot less complicated!!.

The face that launched a thousand ships!!!

Who needs Lords and the Ashes???

Team Isle of Man practising for the next Test?

The end result

All the hard work paid off and AJ's bedroom was finally finished - 5 minutes after the ferry docked with him and Grandpa on it!!! He seems to like it!

Bedroom makeover round 2

AJ's room is definitely a work in progress at the moment. Have to get a move on as he comes home from Grandma's on Thursday night!!! Yikes!

Cheap Labour

Good job 3 year olds don't understand the concept of the minimum wage!!

And the winner is...

AJ - who was a very clear winner in the flat race for his year on Sports Day. Well done!

Ladies day at the races

Who needs Ladies Day at Ascot when there is a school sports day to attend?

Fit for a fairy princess

Not content with the act of building a wall, Mrs H set to on choosing the decor for both bedrooms : 1 bed, 2 mattresses, 6 duvet cover sets (to allow for choice!!), wallpaper, border, lamps, blinds, curtains, rugs and a cushion for AJ's chair later!! (It would have been cheaper and a lot less work to carry on bidding for jewellery on eBay!!!) Anyway, one room finished and one to go. It's amazing how much you can get done when the kids are away visiting Grandma!! Little Z advised Grandma that the reason she gets up every night at home is because the teddies tickle her - well if this room doesn't solve the problem Mrs H is moving into it!

What happens when you have more time on your hands

Not content with ordering frivolous items such as jewellery on eBay, Mrs H turned her attention to the children's bedrooms. The sliding doors separating the rooms were not ideal so put off by the extortionate quotes for a relatively simple job, Mrs H decided that Mr H would be capable of erecting the stud wall required. (Mr H had no say in the matter you realise!!). An online handyman site provided the step by step instructions and a swift trip to B&Q by Mr H whilst Mrs H was in London and everyone was set to go! Obviously, with a hand that was mostly out of action still, Mrs H took on the role of project manager/supervisor/gaffer (much to Mr H's delight!). The end result was well worth it.