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.
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!
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