The rain and wind were too much!

We woke up Sunday morning in Limavady, the campsite in Northern Ireland, and made a collective decision that we would return to Gemma and Fechin’s a day early. The wind and rain just made it too miserable for the Richardsons to get any sleep, at least the parents. Their camper van has a pop up roof where the kids sleep and because the wind was so crazy they had to keep that down, which meant someone had to sleep in the awning. Well, the rain hitting the awning would keep anyone from sleeping. 

Scott and Clare’s empty pitch. 

So we packed up. Scott and Clare headed to see some friends they had known in the UAE and we stayed at the campsite for another hour or so, with the plan to catch up with them at Sainsbury’s for a grocery shop. We played cards and laughed at Millie. 

We had planned to make a nice dinner for Gemma and Fechin to thank them for their hospitality. Leaving a day early fromthe camp ground meant we would have more time on Monday to prepare our incredible meal of appreciation. 

We arrived at Sainsbury’s at 2 pm and did the shopping. Then we prepared a bite to eat for everyone. The Richardsons arrived around 3:15 pm. We left the car park just after 4 pm. Our goal was to stop for a pub dinner as not to inconvenience the O’Reillys more than we already had by getting to theirs before dinner. That would be beyond rude! However, we ended up at a fast food place and got take away. We are in the van in a car park. We ended up at Gemma and Fechin’s just after 7 pm. They were delighted to have us back. 

We had an excellent night’s sleep we all had. If it rained I didn’t hear it, and there was no wind at all. I think the adults woke up on Monday morning feeling very pleased with our decision to leave Northern Ireland when we did. 

We had a leisurely day. Gemma and the kids had errands to run and Fechin went to help his dad pour concrete. His dad is 82 and lives in the house that’s about 15 steps away from Gemma and Fechin’s, and he still works. 

Scott and Stuart started cooking just after noon. They played cards in between the preparations. 

Gemma, Clare and I went to a shopping mall for a while in the afternoon and the boys put together a desk for Astrid. 

Dinner was ready around 7 pm. We had chicken, pork, veggies, roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, cheesey leeks, and lots of gravy. Our last night at the O’Reilly’s was a memorable one. They are lovely people and were beyond hospitable to us. 
The kids’ table. 

The adult table. 

We went to bed much later than intended, but the extra laughs were worth the lack of sleep. The Alarms went off at 5 am as we had to catch the 8 am ferry back to Wales. We pulled away from Summerhill at 5:30 am. The kids were awake long enough to get buckled into their seats, then they were back to sleep. 

When we got to Dublin and in the line for the ferry there were staff with border patrol walking around the vehicles. We were stopped before getting on the ferry to check our passports. When we initially crossed into Ireland no one checked anything. We found that to be a bit odd. The ferry ride was much better on the way back than it was on the way over, which we were all thankful for. 

Once we were back in Wales we stopped for fuel. Scott and Clare caught up with us once they were off the ferry. We convoyed for the next couple of hours, then stopped for a comfort break and to give the Richardsons their camping gear we had been carrying. We said our goodbyes and agreed to meet up when we were back in December. We had a wonderful holiday with them. It was also a bit bitter sweet. Both the O’Reillys and the Richardsons are seemingly back to their ‘normal’ lives. I was a bit jealous until I heard of their adjustment times where it wasn’t as easy to settle back into their old lives. I know when it is time for us to leave the UAE we will be ready. However, that time is not this year. 

We drove another 2 hours after bidding farewell to the Richardsons and landing at our next camp site in Milton Keenes, about 40 minutes from Heathrow Airport and 20 minutes from where we were to return the camper van on Wednesday morning. We set our van up and started getting things sorted for the following morning. The kids played outside for a bit and then we decided to try to find a pub for dinner. 

Playing catch

Last stop for the Monster. 

Cute little pub. 

Waiting for our food. 

Our walk back from the pub was through an underpass. 

Once we got back to the camp site we all headed to the showers. 
Our shower was a tight squeeze and the water stayed on for such a short time, Millie and I decided to shower separately and not wash our hair. It was a good decision. Once the kids were in bed, after a major episode from Millie which I hope ceases once we are back to a schedule, Stuart and I played rummy for a couple of hours. We then turned in just after 11 pm as the alarm would sound at 7 am. 

Once the alarm rudely awoke us, we finished sorting and cleaning out the van. We left the camp site to return the van. We arrived just before 10 am and checked in the van with no problems.

The kids took advantage of the time they had to wait for us to get the van cleared. We then caught an Uber to our hotel for the night, near Heathrow Airport. We were fortunate to be able to check in, even though it wasn’t yet noon. We went to our room and then headed to the Underground to make our way to the Natural History Museum. 

Some people read the paper on the underground. 

The following pictures are of houses and buildings in Kensington. There is a lot of money in this place. 

This place was for sale. I dare not even guess how pricey this little jewel is. 

This street is where we walked to our pub. 

The outside of the Queen’s Arms. 

We had lunch a the Queen’s Arms in South Kensington, one of the wealthiest areas in London. After we ate lunch, we were joined by Claire, Kayleigh and Mandy. 

They also joined us for the Natural History Museum, which we all enjoyed. 

This is the outside of the Natural History Museum. It’s such a gorgeous building. 

A giraffe and her skeleton. 

Up the stairs at the back of this picture is where Paddington got shot by a tranquilizer. Jack reminded us of the scene. 

I could even get the entire blue whale in my picture. We mostly enjoyed the Human Body, Mammals, Dinosaur, and the Moon. 

Millie’s class were the Narwhals this year. Did you know that only male Narwhals have the tusk that comes out of the top of its head? I didn’t know that either. 

This was a giant ball that represented the moon. Jack wanted a picture that would make it appear as if he was holding it up. 

Of course Millie had to do the same. 

After we had enough of the Natural History Museum, we walked to Hyde Park to get an ice cream. We then walked into the park where we saw this fountain that was dedicated to Princess Diana. There were kids playing in it. 

We popped a squat for a while in the park. 

We then walked to Wetherspoons for dinner. On the way we passed Buckingham Palace, as you do. 

The famous guards. 

After dinner, Bill (who joined us later and is Mandy’s man), Mandy, Claire, and Kayleigh went their way and we all went ours. It just so happened we were going on the same underground line, but in different directions. So we were across from each other on the platform. 

And we got to see them leave the station. 

We got back to the Premier Inn, showered and went to bed. We weren’t going to be in a rush the following morning, and when we woke up we discovered our flight had been delayed so we had more time than originally thought. We went down for a leisurely breakfast and then spent a bit of time watching reruns of Fraser in the room. 

We headed to the airport around 10 am. We went through security and Jack was stopped. Little goofball forgot to put the pen knife Millie bought him in Italy in his checked bag. This only means that he missed doing that when we left Italy as well because he hasn’t rummaged through his back pack since we left Italy. Funny thing it, the security guy handed the pen knife to Stuart and we carried on. 🤔

Our flight home was delayed by nearly 2 hours, one of which we sat on the plane at the gate. It was maddening, but totally out of our hands. I met a lady on the flight who was moving with her 4 year old twins and husband to Abu Dhabi. They had been on planes or in airports for three days because of weather and cancelations. I felt so sorry for her. We had a good chat and exchanged numbers so we could keep in touch. The expat person knows no stranger. And every time you speak to a newbie you feel their pain. 

We finally got home around 2 am. The kids showered and went to bed. Of course I started unpacking and getting laundry started. I finally went to bed around 4 am and woke up at 8:30 am. I was dragging all day long. Millie didn’t wake up until around noon and even Jack was surprised when he woke up at 9:15, not twigging that he had only had 6 hours of sleep. 

We ran errands Friday, going to the grocery store to get much needed supplies/food. After leaving a great deal of our money there, we headed back home. On our way we picked Cathy up and went to the rugby club to pick up cars. We had already picked up my car earlier, but needed to pick up Stuart’s Jag and then Cathy picked her car up. We had left them there over the summer because there is shade for most of the day. All cars started except for the Jag. So we have to sort out a new battery so we can get it sold. 

Cathy came back to the house and had dinner with us. We had nachos, which might be my favorite meal at our house. After we had put Millie to bed, Brian and Lara came over. They stayed much longer than we were expecting. By the time they left it was late. They didn’t leave quietly either. Therefore, Millie woke up and then woke Jack up. They were very poorly behaved and wouldn’t go back to bed. I was already asleep and Stuart dealt with them. He was super upset. 

Saturday morning I slept in. We then went to the mall and I bought 3 pair of shoes. We got some things for supper and then headed home to relax for our last day before going back to work. We really did nothing until we all sat down for dinner. When we did sit down Stuart spoke very sternly to the kids about their behavior and how we expect more out of them than the behaviors they have been displaying over the summer weeks. The good thing about when Stuart speaks to them harshly is that he does it so rarely. They know he means business when he speaks to them that way. It was good and hopefully will have a positive effect. 

Stuart and I watched television after the kids were in bed. It was a chilled way to end a manic summer. 

Our week with the O’Reillys and beyond

We were up on Sunday morning and in the kitchen at 8 am. We had decided to go to Tayto Park, named after a beg of crisps (chips). We had breakfast and then headed out for a day of fun. The kids were so excited. They had orchestrated their plea to us the evening before and we agreed to the trip. 

The entrance to the park and in the background was the epic roller coaster we all went on. 

Ready for our crazy roller coaster experience. 

We spent the day on rides and laughing....a lot. The boys went off on their own and felt so grown up. Jack is the youngest of the boys so he was in heaven being trusted to be away from us in an amusement park. 

PDA is not allowed in the UAE, so when we can we smooch to embarrass the kids. 

This is the factory on site that makes the lovely crisps. Yummy!

This little race track ran the slowest cars ever. It was hilarious to see our way too large children fold up and get into these cars. 

Millie fit best of all. 

This was a sickening, turn upside down, ride. Blah!

Gemma, Clare and I came back to the house just after 6 pm to rescue the dogs from their bladders. There was only one wee when we got back to the house, which was pretty good since we had been gone nearly 8 hours. Gemma and Clare walked the dogs while I relaxed with a cider. 

The rest of the crew arrived just after 7 pm. Gemma whipped up some food for the kids and then warmed up leftovers for the adults. The kids had an earlier night, which was necessary. Millie was going to sleep in the house with May and Astrid, but in the end she decided against it. She did, however, learn the 5 rules of being part of the girls’ club, which proved to be beneficial to her parents. The rules were 1) Listen to adults, 2) respect everyone, 3) be helpful to everyone, and there were two more, but the first three were good enough for me. Millie was an angel the entire evening. It was bliss. Stuart and I stayed in the house once the kids were in bed in the van. We were all in bed by 11:30 pm. 

I was up on Monday morning just before 7. Farm commotion started just after I got up, so it made sense to get dressed and get going. We were going into Dublin for the day. We figured out that the Richardsons’ camper van wouldn’t fit in any of the car parks in Dublin city center. So Fechin followed Scott to a car Park and then came to meet up at the Guinness Storehouse for our 12 o’clock tour. They made it just in time. 

The girls are ready for the tour. What’s up with my chin? 

And now we are all ready!

The kids were intrigued by the quiz. 

We all got to pull our own pint of Guinness. 

And the final product!

Everyone had their appropriate drink. 

The girl

And the boys!

We had to stop under a scaffolding because it was pouring rain and we were all wet rats. 

In the middle of the picture you can see a man with a paper on his head. That’s Stuart trying to keep the rain off his head. Not sure it was a very useful umbrella. 

We found a cafe and had a coffee to get out of the rain. It dried up enough for us to walk to the Natural History Museum, but unfortunately it was closing in 15 minutes. The kids weren’t terribly upset. We carried on and walked toward our cars. 

We stopped to take a picture with the statute of Molly Malone. There is a song that tells the fictional tale of a fishmonger who plied her trade on the streets of Dublin, but who died young, of a fever. In the late 20th century a legend grew up that there was a historical Molly, who lived in the 17th century. She is typically represented as a hawker by day and part-time prostitute by night. In contrast she has also been portrayed as one of the few chaste female street-hawkers of her day. So a picture was a must. 

We got to the car park and out of the rain. We traveled back to the house and tried to dry off. We did a load of laundry. We were going to hang them on the line but the rain had set in so the tumble dryer was the answer. The kids had pizza for dinner and the adults just snacked. The girls had an earlier evening, but the boys were still up until close to 1 am. 

The night’s sleep was great. Our camper van bedding is fantastic. We have no idea how cold it is until we take the duvet off and then it is icy in the van. We were up just before 8. We decided to have a bit of an easy morning. The kids just played around for the morning and the adults chatted and drank coffee. Fechin’s mother came over for a visit. Her house is a mere 20 steps away from Gemma and Fechin’s house. It seems to work for them. 

Just before 1 pm we headed to Trim for a walk around and then to Trim Castle. This castle is a Norman castle on the south bank of the River Boyne in Trim, County Meath, Ireland. It is the largest Norman castle in Ireland. There was an area called Newtown. Between the castle and the other structure there was farm land where the citizens grew their own food. It’s been a bit restructured and now looks like this. 

Trim Castle

Newtown

A grave marking in Newtown

🎶Over the castle on the hill🎶

Trim Castle behind us. 

We ended up walked all around the castle but not actually in it. Our walk was about an hour and a half. The dogs loved it. Around 2:30 pm we got the best fish and chips in the county.

Yum!

She loves her fish and chips!

We then decided to walk to a shop in a hotel with some Irish gear for sale. It started to pour, so it ended up just being Clare, Stuart, Gemma and myself who stayed behind. The rest of the crew went back to house and we followed shortly. 

The rest of the afternoon was a lazy one. I made banana bread, the kids played, and some of the other adults took a nana nap. The evening was a lot more of catching up on the year we have had apart. For dinner we made ham and cheese toasties. We had an earlier night than previously, which was good as we were heading to Northern Ireland on Wednesday. 

I didn’t have the greatest sleep as I joined Millie on her top bunch since I had promised to do so the night before. I had hoped she would forget, but no luck. I ended up sleeping there until 3 am which is when Mother Nature called. We all awoke to a cooked breakfast of sausage, bacon, black pudding (which I will never eat again) eggs and toast. Once we had everything sorted out and all of our things back in our van, we left the O’Reillys to head to Northern Ireland. 

We arrived at our campsite just before the rain caught us. Once we were set up, the kids stayed in the awning while the adults hung out in our van. 

This clever contraption hooks up to the Richardsons’ camper van. 

The scenery around was spectacular. 

Once the rain stopped we headed down to the beach. Naturally the kids had to get in the water. The temperature of the water was around 60 degrees. Too cold for me. 

We were sensible and kept warm, and out of the water. 

This was before they got totally soaked. 

The beach was beautiful. 

And she’s soaked!
All children had fun, but a hot shower was in order after our ten minute walk back to the campsite. 

We had a dinner of spaghetti bolognese and then everyone made their way into their sleeping accommodations. Millie has no desire to sleep anywhere but our van and Henry is dying to sleep in our van. She had an all out meltdown which was a bit embarrassing and irritating. I decided she would be having a conversation the next morning with me about how this holiday is not all about her. The adults stayed up for a bit longer while Jack and Millie went to sleep in our bed. When the evening was over, I went to take a shower and Stuart moved the kids to their bed. 

We had breakfast on Thursday and headed out for the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge as well as Giant’s Causeway. Wehad a bonus stop at Dunluce Castle which is one of the places where the Game of Thrones was filmed. 

Our first stop was the rope bridge. It was amazing! Jack clung on for dear life. 

The walk up to the bridge was stunning. 

She wasn’t scared of anything!

The view on the island wherethe rope bridge took us. 

That’s actually all of us, except Clare coming back across the bridge. Millie is the second little person from the left. I am in the white jumper and Jack is just behind me. Clare couldn’t come across with us because she had Biscuit. It’s a fab photo. 

We then headed to Giant’s Causeway. This is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, a result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. The columns are hexagonal for the most part. It is an amazing site and a must see. 

This is the entrance to the trail. 
The view along the trail. 
These are naturally formed rocks. It’s crazy!
Millie laid down on a flat bit of the causeway. 

The kids loved climbing around on these incredible formations. 

It was a lovely day. 

There was a great audio tour that went along with our tickets into Giant’s Causeway. 

The legend says this was Finn McCool’s pipe organ. The tale is a good one. 

The North Atlantic is glorious. 

The trail back was the most difficult one that went uphill, with 162 steps to the top of the ridge. Let’s just say we all got our steps in on this day. 

The view from the top. 
In the background is Dunluce Castle which was our last cultural stop of the day. 

In front of the castle. 
Rapunzel, let down your golden hair. 

This castle was pretty well preserved from the medieval times.  

Once we left the castle we stopped to get food for dinner. We then headed back to the campsite. Once there, the kids  played around and we decided to postpone dinner, which was best. Millie had a bit of a meltdown when she had to take a shower early, but in the end I think everything ended well. 

We ended the night in our living area. I had decided not to take a shower and instead take one Thursday morning. The plan was then to wash our clothes. We could probably survive without doing so, but we had a pile that was starting to stink. During the night a huge rain storm came up and literally lasted the entire night. It stopped raining around 6 am, but then the wind was brutal, even to the point of rocking our beast! 

While washing clothes there was there was an error code that caused us to have to rewash the load. Then the dryer shot an error code that caused us to have to stand by the dryer and restart the machine every 30 seconds or so for 45 minutes. In the end we took it to another dryer. Seems the washers and dryers in the complex had been acting up recently. It ended up taking us until 6 pm to get two loads of laundry washed and dried. It was ridiculous, but a memory I suppose. 

During the day, because we suspected there would be a day of bad weather, we decided to walk to a pub and then came back by a chip shop which was delightful. 

Millie and Stuart played a game in the morning because the weather permitted. 

This was our walk to the pub. 
A beverage at an authentic Irish pub. 
Our view from the beer garden. 
The beach and water called to us after we had our fish and chips. 
And although I took my flips off I only let the water hit my feet. 

These kids are crazy! The water was freezing again today. 
Millie swore by covering herself with sand she was warmer. All I know is that the sand ruined her swimsuit. Oh well. 

The boy tried to body board. The waves were not cooperating. 

After a bit more chilled water we headed back to camp. The laundry was the bain of our existence on Friday but at least we ended up with enough underwear to survive the rest of our holiday. 

We decided just to do pasta for the kids again and the adults simply ate cheese, salami, crisps, tomatoes and cucumbers with dip. It was easy and since we had fish and chips for lunch we decided to postpone the intended hamburgers for the following evening. It rained off and on for the rest of the evening. The boys ended up sleeping in our camper van, finally, and Millie slept between Stuart and myself which was cozy. 

We got up on Saturday morning and had breakfast. We decided to drive our vans down to the beach. 

The kids and dads spent a few hours surfing, with wetsuits of course. Clare and I supervised and drank coffee and tea. 

The crew ready for the freezing water. 

Jack got the hang of it rather quickly. 

It clearly wore Millie out. 
Doesn’t everyone have a cup of coffee in their wetsuit outside of their camper van?

A drive on the beach was a must. 

About halfway through their three hour rental, Clare and I managed to go to the supermarket for some lunchy bits. We snacked around 2 pm and then went for a walk around the campsite. We then came back and the kids had a game of tennis, sort of. 

About 20 minutes later there was a huge rainstorm. We then went inside and played Old Maid. Although we played with a regular deck of cards and the game was a bit different, Millie still figured out a way to give away that she had the Old Maid. We then played Oh Heck with everyone. It was fun!

We decided we would all get showered before dinner. Burgers were prepared shortly after we were clean, and then the entire van smelled like burgers. Scott and Clare did kitchen duty while Stuart and I sat in our van listening to the rain, and the kids were in the awning playing cards. 

We did our best to get Millie to bed by 9 pm, but she had another meltdown. It’s clearly time to get back to a schedule and back to our ‘normal’ life, whatever that is. After everyone had gone to bed and Millie had calmed down, Stuart and I played rummy. Millie’s meltdowns are nearly killing me, and I’m pretty sure I don’t handle them the way I should. I’ll keep working on that. Another week of fun to be had and then it’s back to school for us.