ps. one last thing...

Remember the cool water fountain we mentioned during our earlier visit to Singapore? We decided to pass by again on our last night, and told the kids they could have a play and get as wet as they wanted to. Of course, they took us at our word, and had a ball running about the lights and splashing in the water. They became the subjects of several other tourists' photos, too. Beth loved holding up her skirt and trying to sit on the water jets... in fact, she pretty much spent the entire time flashing her undies and belly button to everybody!

Last days in London...

We had the opportunity over the course of our stay in England to catch up with friends Mike and Julia, and their two boys Thomas and Jack. Jack and Liam are just a couple of weeks apart in age, and they took a particular shine to one another. Liam even went for his first playdate without one of us in tow! He had lots of fun with the boys playing the Wii at their house, and then we met them later on at Reigate Priory for a play at the park.

We chose to spend our last day in the UK having a day out in London again. This time, we crossed off 4 more London "must-do's". We took the kids to a show - The Little Mermaid; we lunched at Jamie Oliver's 'Fifteen' restaurant (the food was as delicious as you would expect. Here, Andrew, Liam and Beth watched one of the chefs make pasta)...

...we rode the tube...

...and also took a ride on the London Eye.

We have been home for a couple of days, now, and despite being glad to be home, it was certainly sad to say goodbye to Jo, David and dog Murphy. Together with Granny and Grandad, whose holiday in the UK continues until late September, we had a fabulous time and shall cherish the memories we all made together.

miscellaneous photos taken in France...

Okay, so photos of me are pretty rare, and ones that are passable are rarer still! Andrew was having fun with the camera, with me modeling the results of a visit to Tiffany and Co. in Paris.

David and Jo are very much into wines and champagnes, so naturally, staying in the Champagne region as we were, meant several visits to Champagne houses to sample the wares. After much sampling and learning about how they make it, seeing the beautiful scenery and the very vineyards that the grapes grow on, I'm sorry to say that I still don't like the stuff!

Liam examining the rows of grapes in one of the many vineyards.

Relaxing out the back after dinner, glass of real champagne (not sparkling wine), feet up, with a good book.

Little alleyway in Hautvillers, just outside Epernay. I tried to get Beth to pose nicely, but you can see she was only interested in putting on a good grumpy face!

Arty shots of France...

Looking down a row of grapes growing in the vineyard. (By Andrew)

Blue flowers. (By Andrew, enhanced by Bec)

I love the cool colours of this one, and the contrast in textures between the background and foreground. (By Andrew)

Bunch of grapes... again, great colours and contrast of shapes. (By Andrew)

I think this is a shot looking down on a post that holds the wire that the grape vines grow on. (By Andrew)

Two tiny little snails in the fork of a tree. (By Bec)

French-looking tap/ faucet. (By Bec)

A 10th wedding anniversary in Paris...

Well... it wasn't quite the exact day of our wedding anniversary, but close enough! During our week in France, we took advantage of our proximity to the capital, left Liam and Beth in the care of Granny and Grandad, Aunty and Uncle, and took the train from Epernay to Paris for 2 days, in order to mark our 10 years of marriage.

We didn't go up the Eiffel Tower, balking at the extensive queues, but did admire its architecture, and the way it punctuates the city skyline.

Great colours in this late evening shot (taken at around 9.30pm).

Andrew found this rather unique boulangerie (bakery) that had won awards for its interesting shaped baguettes and breads.

Paris, part 2...

In our last couple of hours in Paris before catching the train back to Epernay, we found the best spot in Paris to pass the time. Thinking we would spend the time inside one of Paris' hip department stores, we headed to 'Printemps' and soon discovered that the rooftop - 9 storeys high - was both a restaurant and good viewing spot. Here we had 360 degree views of the Paris skyline, and all for free!

Paris have a great citywide bicycle hire system, which we took advantage of to get around the city. Basically, the bike hire is free if you return the bike within half an hour to one of the many bicycle stations around the place. The bikes themselves are pretty good (although you have to be careful to choose a bike that doesn't have pedals missing, etc), and apart from the smelly fumes from the sometimes dangerous traffic, it's a good way to get around quickly and see the sights.

Pausing opposite the Arc de Triomphe.

Pretty cool architecture and decoration way up under the arches.

zig zag parc

David and Jo, Liam and Beth, Andrew and I took a day trip together to nearby Zig Zag Park. Basically it's a great spot to take the kiddies for a play, but the adults can have fun too in the real-life maze they have made in the fields of wheat and corn. Complete with jumping castles, pedal-cars and the mazes, they made for a great outing for the kids AND us!

Beth climbs the walls of one of the jumping castles up to the slide on the other side.

These pedal cars were fun, but terribly hard on the thighs!

Wheat kernels up close and personal.

arty shots in Reims Cathedral...

We took an afternoon to visit the nearby city of Reims (pronounced Rance... go figure!) and looked around the Cathedral. These places truly are amazing when you stare around at the architecture and realise how long ago it was built, and without all the technology we have to help us these days! Amazing...

Looking up on the portico entrance.

Liam loved all the huge stained glass windows.

out and about in France

One of the highlights of the trip for me was this lunch we had on the first full day in France. We did the French thing and bought fresh baguettes, a hunk of good (and rather expensive) cheese, market tomatoes and cherries, stopped at a picnic spot by the road, and hoed into it all. We had no plates, no knives for cutting - just the food. It was a case of bite of bread, bite of cheese, bite of tomato etc. Yummmmmm, it was delicious! We finished it off with cherries for dessert!

Smashing view from our picnic spot!

We went for a bit of a drive, and came across this lighthouse. Truly, it was a picturesque day with perfect weather, and very photographic clouds.

Back at home, we had a game of soccer in the backyard. Beth collected all her little stuffed animal friends and set them up as spectators for the tournament. Cute or what?!!!

our french digs...

Not to brag, of course, but here is a picture of the cute old french farmhouse/cottage we stayed in for the week. Very old and rustic, but very comfortable for the eight of us.

Old window in the old stone wall

The place had quite a large backyard, and as I explored the trees, I discovered this old tyre chained to one of the trees. Thought it would make an interesting photo.

There were all sorts of fruit trees and bushes in the yard: an apple tree, cherry tree, pear tree, and currant bush.

travelling to france

A week ago, Jo and David, Granny and Grandad, plus us, set off in two packed cars for our week's holiday in Fromentieres, France. We drove to Dover, admired the white cliffs, and sailed across the Channel on board the ferry on a gorgeous sunny day.

As we left port, it was amazing to watch the seagulls chase the boat for quite a way,
almost using it as a moving island.

The journey went very well, until we were about half an hour from our destination. We came across a very recent and quite bad motorway accident which meant a wait of over an hour for the road to be cleared. You can see in the photo in the distance how close we were stopped to where the accident had occurred.

To pass the time, Liam and Beth used the steep hill on the side of the road as their adventure playground, climbing up and down in the tall grass. (And yes, Beth is probably doing what it looks like she is doing!)

We used Grandad's binoculars to see what was happening up ahead, plus other interesting things, of course!