Time to visit more family

Sunday we got up and started planning for our trip to Italy. We went to Sainsbury’s for snacks, milk, parsnips for lunch and of course some extra t-shirt shopping. When we got back to the house the kids played a bit before Granny arrived. I hung some laundry and sat down for a cup of coffee. 

Around 2 pm we had a proper English full roast dinner.  There were 7 vegetables, pork shoulder and Yorkshire pudding. It was devine and everyone seemed happy with their dinner. After lunch we sat out on the patio and chatted for a while. In the late afternoon Stuart took Audrey home while I got the kids showered and settled for the evening. Once the kids were in bed, the adults played cards. 

Monday morning we got up and called Karen’s dentist to see if we could get an appointment for Millie’s tooth issue. We were able to get in at 11 am and as we suspected we were told she would need it extracted, but for now they gave her antibiotics. The dentist said it could wait until we returned to the UAE. 

After her appointment we headed to Hastings to get Millie’s ears pierced for her birthday. About eight of her little girlfriends had their ears pierced throughout this year, and although we had always said she needed to wait until she was 10 to get them pierced, we decided there was nothing magical about being 10. She is actually more responsible about it than I am. She reminds me to clean them three times a day. 

The new earrings. 

We had a bite of lunch after the ear piercing, and then met Grandma and Jack to see Lion King. What a spectacular film that was. We then met Grandpa for dinner at the Windmill. We returned to the house to remake the beds. We packed up our stuff and headed to London to stay in a hotel for our early flight Tuesday morning. We arrived at the hotel just before 9 pm. We all showered, watched a bit of Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives and then went to sleep. 

The alarm went off at 3:30 am, way too early for all of us. We got to the airport before it was open. At 4:30 am they opened the doors but we were told check-in would not start until 5 am and we were told not to get in line. Well, that didn’t set well with Stuart at all. He went to the counter and asked ‘where is priority check-in?’ and the British Airways representative said ‘you can’t line up until 5 am’. To which he responded, ‘that wasn’t my question’. So she pointed to the line. We then, of course, got in the line and she continued to tell us that ‘everyone else is getting in line now because you all are in line’. I said ‘this all makes no sense, we aren’t moving’. Thirteen minutes later we were checked in,  then had to wait for 12 minutes until security opened at 5:15 am. Lesson? Don’t book to fly out of a totally shite airport!

Popcorn and sushi, it’s what’s for breakfast. 

The flight was relatively uneventful. The kids slept for most of it, thank goodness. Jack was baffled by the fact there were no television screens in front of him. He questioned what he would do for the flight and then fell asleep. 

Once we landed and had our bags, which seemed to take forever, we waited for my brother and the rest of the family for about an hour. 

Millie insisted on bringing Morgan and Grammie a unicorn head band. They wore it with pride. 

When they arrived, we sent them off on the bus and Grammie and Pop came on the train with us to our apartment for the afternoon. The kids looked through the new backpacks Grammie and Pop had brought them. They found all kinds of toys and clothes. Then the card games commenced and laughter was endless. 

We went shopping for food at the coop just up the road. 

When the team finally arrived at the hotel, we went to dinner with the whole family and then came back to our apartment. 

Dinner was delightful. I do love eating outdoors in Italy. 

After the family left, Millie had a meltdown because her bedtime has to be precise or she becomes a bit out of control. She would not go to bed and kept pestering Jack. Ugh!  Stuart and I played rummy when both kids finally settled down. 

We were up on Wednesday and to the hotel so Jack could go to basketball practice with Uncle Russ and the team. We sat and had coffee with Grammie. 

We then walked down to the Spanish Steps and did some shopping for a belt for my niece Emily who was unable to make the trip. 

The steps we chose not to walk up. Been there, done that. 

We decided to walk home after a bit of shopping. On the way back to the apartment Millie decided to spend her money from Grandma and Grandpa on a small bag to carry around. Her backpack proved to be a bit heavy, as she was warned that morning but wouldn’t believe me. She loves to learn lessons the hard way. 

I know none of these people in this photo, but there seemed to be filming of some sorts on a side street close to the Spanish Steps. 

Me and my first baby! Love Morgan so much. 

After we returned to the apartment we decided to go and get some food from the supermarket and have a leisurely lunch at our apartment. It was way better than being in the heat and way cheaper as Grammie paid for it. After lunch, we were allowed to get on the team bus and go to the Forum and Collesium with the team, but because of booked timings, we were only able to go into the Forum. That was fine, as we hadn’t gone to the Collesium when we came to Italy two years ago. 

Millie is having difficulty looking at the camera, mainly because she’s stubborn. 

Look at the camera, Millie!

Russ, Mitch and Morgan

Although we didn’t get to go into the coliseum this time, we had to still take a picture outside of it. 

After the Forum we decided to try to get some gelato. I had a shoe blowout and decided I couldn’t walk too far without issues. So we altered our plan and took the metro back toward our apartment. We then decided to treat the kids to gelato just behind our apartment. 

They’ve been good shoes. I’m pretty sure I’ve had these for over 4 years. 

Gelato on the Rome streets. 

We then came back to the apartment for a rest and to wait for the family and the team to get back from the Colliseum. Morgan messaged me around 6:20 to tell me they were on their way back to the hotel. We decided we would let them all shower and we would meet them in the lobby of the hotel. Jack and Millie showered and put on some other new clothes that Grammie and Pop had brought them. 

We went to the hotel and walked with the team to a pizza place not too far away from the hotel. It was good food and we met parents of one of the players. Their names were Rick and Chris. They are actually from Phoenix. We had good conversation. They were very nice and energetic people. 

We decided to get some gelato before heading back to our apartment for an after dinner drink of Coke Zero. Once the family had left and gone back to their hotel, we attempted to put the kids to bed. Fortunately they had showers before we went to dinner so they just needed to get jammies on and get into bed. That proved to be much easier said than done. Millie had another full out meltdown. We are thinking there is too much stimuli, too much sugar, and too late evenings. We will need to deal with it for the rest of our time in Italy. She can get back to her schedule a little more after we get back to England. 

After Millie finally settled down, Stuart and I played gin rummy and then went to bed. I had somehow contracted a deep chest cough, which made it not easy to get to sleep. 

We were up around 8:30 on Thursday morning. We were able to have a leisurely morning because the team had a booked tour of the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. We had done that two years ago and were pretty sure we wouldn’t get tickets the day of, so decided we would meet them around lunch time at the hotel. 

Since I had a shoe malfunction, we decided to go out around 10:30 to look for some new shoes. I didn’t have any luck, but we got the kids out so that was good. We bought some more food for lunch for when the family returned from their tour of the Vatican. We went to Carrefore, which is where we shop in the UAE. 

We had lunch and then the fam went back to their hotel to rest for a bit before the game that evening. 

This was lunch. 

We went and had our afternoon gelato and then headed to the bus for the ride to the game. They played at 6 pm and just killed the Italian international team. Afterwards they were served pizza by the pool at the basketball club where they played. When everyone had eaten we headed back to the hotel and then for....you guessed it, gelato. Morgan wasn’t feeling well so she went back to their room. We came back to our apartment for one last night cap of Coke Zero. It was just after 10 when everyone left. The kids had showered when everyone was there, so we sat them in front of Netflix hoping they would fall asleep. At 11 pm I turned the television off. Millie fussed a bit, but then I made Jack move into his bed and I laid down with Millie for a few minutes and she fell asleep. Stuart and I played rummy but he was killing me so I decided it was time to go to bed. 

We set our alarms for 7 am in order to get to the rental car place by 9 am. I repacked my bad and each of the kids’ bags. We cleared out the refrigerator and double checked we had everything before leaving the apartment keys on the counter and exiting the building. We had about a 5 minute walk to the train station where the rental cars were. 

Waiting for the rental car with all our junk. 

We walked to a garage about 2 minutes away and got our car. Our drive to Siena was uneventful, as most drives are. We took a comfort stop about an hour into the journey. I then messaged the family on the coach to see where they were. 

We tried to meet up with them for their wine and food tasting. However, I led Stuart on a walking path through Siena, but in our rental car. Oops! Seems that’s frowned upon. If you know my husband, well, then I don’t need to tell you what the tone was in the car. By the time we found the same car park where the bus had dropped them off, we were about 8 minutes behind them. So we decided to have lunch and then meet up with them for their walking tour. 

We had our own tasting I suppose. 

Wild boar past, is there anything this kid won’t eat?

And will child eat anything but a margherita pizza while in Italy?

The streets in Siena are quaint. 

The whole family. 

A church outside of the main districts of Siena. 

One of the many cathedrals we saw. 

Here we are in Piazza del Campo, the place where chariot races used to occur. Now they have the Pialo HorseRaces two days a year. 

No day is complete without gelato. 

And the ‘rents were rehydrating with Powerade. 

We left Siena around 4:30 pm and headed to Florence. The kids were off their but in the car. They had some M&Ms and when I turned around they had licked the clue ones and put ‘war paint’ all over their faces. In hind sight I wish I would have taken a picture of it, but I was too irritated by their extreme immaturity that I couldn’t think about a picture. Because we didn’t bring their iPads on this trip they have had to entertain themselves, so in a sense their behavior is our fault. Ha!

Once we arrived in Florence and checked into the hotel, we sorted out things out and waited for the bus to arrive. When they had checked in we all gathered in the lobby and headed to find a place for dinner. My dad had developed a blister on his toe, so walking was quite painful for in. He was a trouper and kept up with the crew without one complaint. 

This was prior to dinner being served. This was quite possibly the best meal I’ve had in Italy, at this stage. 

And no evening is complete without a game of Old Maid. 

We set our alarm to get up at 7:15 am in order to meet Grammie and Pop for breakfast. We ate at 8 am and then went to our room for a couple of hands of Old Maid. We had decided not to go to the Academia to see the David since we had done that two years. The team also had a walking tour of Florence which we missed as well. However, we met Russ, Julie and Morgan down by the Basilica of Santa Croce.

This is in front of Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore. Such incredible work to produce such a magnificent building. 

We spent a couple of hours shopping around in the markets and in different stores. I ended up buying some things for my next Favorites party at my friend DeDe’s house to happen in September when we return to school. I almost bought a linen top, but decided I didn’t have the energy to iron it. Lazy am I! 

We met the team for lunch at noon at the Hard Rock Cafe. It’s a must as it is about this time in the trip that the players start to miss being home and may get a bit down. So at least this chain reminds them a bit of home. After lunch, Russ, Julie, Morgan and Pop went back to the hotel. 

Grammie and my crew stayed to walk around the city and shop a bit more. 

Just before returning to the hotel, we put the kids on the merry go round. It was thundering but not raining, so it made sense to put them on a metal and electrical apparatus. The rain caught up with us and by the time we did start to walk home we got a bit damp. We stopped at the Carrefore to get some food for the game. The game didn’t start until 8 pm so we were pretty sure the meal would be after that and my two kids wouldn’t be able to wait until then. 

We came back to the room for about an hour and a half. The kids took a bath and then actually washed themselves with a shower. They then sat down to watch some Netflix on Jack’s phone. They seemed happy enough to do that. Stuart and I turned back to rummy. 

Don’t tell my kids I posted this. 

We left for the game at 6 pm. The played in a city about 45 minutes away called Montecatini. Of course when we arrived Jack and I were asleep. Once in the gym, Jack wanted to somehow be involved. He stood at the end of the court forever. Then we finally told him to go and rebound for one of the players. So he did. He was thrilled to get to do that. 

The UCA Bears killed the Tuscany team. The final score was a lot to very little. It was as if they were playing a team that got together at the YMCA for a noon pick-up game. 

We returned to the hotel. Fortunately my kids had already showered. And although they had played at the gym and got a bit sweaty, I didn’t care. Jack decided he needed another shower and then we threw them into bed anyway. 

England’s weather does not disappoint

Sunday morning we were up around 6:30 am. We had sausage and bacon sandwiches for breakfast. I hung some laundry on the line and then played a game called Flickin’ Chicken. We had purchased this game in Branson last summer. We played it at my mom’s and then decided to buy one to take to Grandma’s. It’s a fun game where you throw rubber chickens. The kids love it. 

We decided to go to TK Maxx to shop for a bit before heading to the seafront in Bexhill to meet up with our friends Nathan and Craig. We bought school shoes for Millie and I bought a cute little outfit as well. Stuart got a couple of belts and Jack got nothing, which didn’t make him happy at all. We also went to have Jack try on some school trousers at Marks and Spencer. We can get four pair of trousers here, which are the same color as the ones we would buy in the UAE, for the same price as one pair in the UAE. It’s a no brained. 

The Bexhill seafront

Once we met up with Nathan and Craig, we had lunch at a cafe by the beach. 

We then took the kids to a local park to play for a while. We walked around the park and watched a game of lawn bowls. 

Craig loved playing in the park with the kids while Nathan, Stuart and I had a natter. 

We then decided to walk along the seafront. Jack wanted to stick his feet in the 58 degree water, while Millie made a rock angel on the beach. They were both filthy when we were finish in Bexhill. 

We only spent a few hours with Nathan and Craig but it is always good to catch up with them when we come to the UK. 

We headed home around 4 pm. We were home in time to watch the last three sets of the men’s Wimbledon finals. While watching, I got the news from my mom that her brother had died. I was so sad for her. He had just recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and less than a week after they had told him they really couldn’t do anything else for him, he passed away. When my aunt was asked by the chaplain if he could pray for my uncle after he had passed, of course she welcomed it. My Aunt Sue told the chaplain that even though their big prayer wasn’t answered, there were a lot of little prayers that were answered. My mom said she was doing well considering. My aunt is a tough lady and will handle this with grace. If you are a person who believes in prayers, I know my family would appreciate some during this time of sorrow. 

After all the sporting excitement, including England winning the World Championship, we had a dinner of leftovers. I had a jacket potato with lamb. Once dinner was finished and the kids had their desserts, Millie went up to her bed to watch her iPad. We all stayed up for a while. Everyone was upstairs by 10:30 pm except for me. I stayed up and caught up on social media. I then woke up on the sofa at 1 am and went to bed. 

I awake at 6 am on Monday morning, but went back to sleep until nearly 8 am. I was the last one up. I showered and got ready for the day. We all went to Sansbury’s to pick up some Euros we had ordered and also did a bit of a shop. When we got home the kids put the icing on the cake they had made the previous day. Then the kids, Stuart and myself headed to Eastbourne to buy Jack some school shoes and try to exchange the trousers Karen had bought him online. We got the shoes but didn’t have the luck of exchanging the trousers. Ugh!

We then met Stuart’s Aunty Cheryl, cousin Amy, her little boy Elliot, Granny, Grandma and Grandpa at Bibendum, a quaint little restaurant in Eastbourne. We had a leisurely lunch and then went back to Granny’s flat for a cup of tea. After playing around with little Elliot for a bit, and ending our time with Jack accidently kicking Elliot in the face, we decided to leave before we did any further damage. 

Grandpa and Jack went straight back to the house, while Stuart, Millie, Grandma and myself stopped at yet another Marks and Spencer’s to actually return the trousers that didn’t fit. We were able to order the correct ones at a cheaper price. Keeping our fingers crossed that the new ones actually fit. 

Once we were home from our day out Stuart started the mashed potatoes for the kids’ dinner. They had sausage and mash and were delighted. They had showered before their food and ended their evening with a video on their iPads. Millie was in bed by 8 and Jack followed at 9. It’s a bit difficult to get them in bed anytime before 10, as it’s not getting dark before that time. Thank goodness Grandma has black out curtains in the bedrooms. 

None of the adults really ate any dinner. We all just smacked on leftovers. We called it a night just before 10 pm. We were exhausted from our day out. I am always stressed when we take he kids to Granny's house as it’s a bit small and my kids think wrestling is okay no matter how small the space. Ugh!

Tuesday morning we woke up and went to Sainsbury's to print the kids’ school photos. We wanted to be able to take some to Grandma and Granddad as well as give some to Grandma and Grandpa. Stuart also bought a few t-shirts. I tried to find something to buy, but have tried to stay under control as I have too many clothes to begin with. Once we returned from the store, we packed and headed to Maresfield where Grandma and Granddad live. We arrived around 11 am. Grandma was at coffee at a neighbour’s house and Granddad was in the middle of finishing off the pizza dough Grandma had started. 

They had finished this room since our last visit. It’s a very peaceful setting for sure. 

Once Grandma had returned and the dough was ready, each of the kids made their own pizza, as did the adults. 

Let the pizza making commence. 

Jack was pleased with himself that he was able to cut the mushrooms. He was instructed to keep his fingers out of the way. 

These pizzas were put on the gas grill on a pizza stone. With the finished product we all ate in the garden. Delicious!

After lunch the kids played a game of tag for a good bit, then resigned themselves to some down time. Jack was on his phone, while Millie played dollies. I love that she can make her own entertainment without electronics. 

Around 3 pm, Grandma had another village gathering she had to go to. Granddad and Stuart took the kids hiking in the woods, which left me to myself for some alone time. Ah! I enjoyed the garden all to myself for just over a half an hour. Grandma’s meeting actually didn’t happen. Apparently it was the previous day. Lyn and I then sat on the back patio for over an hour just catching up. 

Once the kids, Stuart and Andrew were back from their hike dinner for the kids was prepared. The adults decided to eat later as Granddad had a village council meeting from 7:30-8:30 pm. Since he is the chairman he had to go. Once the kids had showered and eaten, they settled down to watch a show on Netflix. Millie went to bed at 7 pm and Jack headed off at 8 pm. Andrew got back around 8:30 and the bbq was roaring. We ate dinner in the dining room. It was delicious. We retired to the conservatory for the rest of the evening, just chatting about varied things. We ended up not going to bed until after midnight. 

We had to set our alarm for our adventure on Wednesday morning. We headed to Portsmouth for the day. Grandma did not go with us as we would be walking a lot and her back is not capable of handling the amount of walking we would be doing. 

Our hour and a half journey wasn’t terribly eventful. Once we arrived in the port for the Royal Navy, we proceeded to head toward our tours for the day. We had bought a ticket to see the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, the HMS M.33, the HMS Victory, a Horrible History Pirates Exhibition, and a harbour cruise. Millie and Jack loved it. I love that the grandparents always try to give the grandkids experiences rather than stuff. They have plenty of stuff, but memories of times with their grandparents last forever. 

The fact that I wore this pirate hat embarrassed Jack. 

The submarine. 

I would have never been able to survive on a submarine. I’m way too claustrophobic. 

This was the HMS Victory. 

This gigantic statue stands outside the HMS Victory. 

The last ship tour of the day. 

We headed back to Maresfield around 4 pm. The kids slept on the way back, which was no surprise. I was stuck in the middle of them, so was thrilled when we were back at the house. 

Food was prepared for the kids and then they showered while the lamb was being bbq’d on the grill. While we ate the kids watched Netflix. After dinner I took Millie upstairs to bed. Jack followed shortly after her. We sat up and talked for a while and then retired ourselves. 

Thursday morning we were up and tidied the upstairs where we had been the last two days. We packed our bags and stripped our bed. Grandma made pancakes and bacon, both American style. We decided since it was raining that taking the kids to walk in the forest wasn’t the best idea so we played a game of Scattegories. 

We headed for our pub lunch and as usual it was delightful. Oh how I love the pubs in England. Their quaintness is like no other establishment. After a delicious meal we headed back to Karen and Barry’s. We had a leaisurely afternoon. The kids went into the woods with Grandpa and Stuart and then showered before dinner. We enjoyed fish pie, and even Millie ate some. 

Once the kids were in bed we played cards with Karen and Barry. We played for a couple of hours and then decided to call it a night. 

Woke up on my birthday to some lovely presents and then headed out for the day. The kids, Stuart and I went to Battle to roam around. We ended up having a snack and a beverage in a pub. We spoke with the gal behind the bar. She was interested in our experiences living in the UAE. She was lovely. 

It is the scarecrow festival in Battle. Artists create scarecrows from different characters. Of course the Genie was a chosen one. 

We met Karen and Barry at my favorite pub, the Queen's Head, for my birthday lunch. I had a burger and chips. It was a bit chilly outside so we dined inside instead of in the pub garden, which is what we normally do. After the pub we came back to the house. I played a matching game with the kids, then Grandpa took the kids for a walk in the woods again. He’s really good to take them into the woods to explore. They love it and it gets them outside. 

Once they returned from the woods they showered and had leftovers for dinner. They played on their iPads for a bit and then Millie was off to bed. Ick stayed up a bit longer to learn our card game. Then we sent him off to bed. We played Oh Heck and I won the second game we had started the previous night. Stuart won the second game. He was so smug about his win. It was a good birthday. 

We got up on Saturday morning and decided to go into the old town after Stuart and Karen went to the butcher’s. We needed to buy some tennis shoes for Millie and ended up buying two pair for her, some socks for Jack, and a pair of shoes for Stuart. We also bought all the stuff for Millie’s treat bags for her birthday party when we return from Italy. 

When we returned home we discovered that Millie most likely had a assessed tooth. She had a cavity several weeks ago and then it must have cracked because now there is a hole in it and her gum is swollen. What are the chances she will get something done about this before we leave for Italy on Monday evening? Not holding out hope. Ugh! What to do?

We spent the rest of the day just chilling around the house. Around 6 pm we went to a tapas bar in Battle for dinner. This restaurant might have been the best place I’ve eaten in a long time. The food was delightful. The owner was super personable. The bathroom was more than clean, and the caramel latte was the best I’ve ever had. It was amazing. 

The seafood plate. 

The meat plate. 

Grandpa and Stuart enjoying the food. 

Both of the kids enjoyed the food as well and were exceptionally behaved. 

We stopped to get petrol on the way back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Once we were home, the kids showered and were off to bed. The adults played cards and laughed the night away. Good fun!