We spent the afternoon just sitting around, which is often very nice. Around 4 pm we decided to play Oh Heck with Jack. It was fun, but he still stressed too much about not winning. I’m hoping he is able to cope with losing a little better when he is older. However, his competitive spirit runs through the Pennell clan and I’m not sure he will ever settle for losing.
Grandpa played catch with the kids in the garden.
Grandma, Daddy and I sat and chatted.
We stayed in the garden for the early evening. Since we ate a late lunch of Chinese leftovers we decided just to snack for the evening meal. The kids showered and headed to bed. The adults played cards for the evening and then called it a night.
We got up on Monday morning and Millie announced to me that she would be 8 years old the next day. I think she manages rather well for a child who never has her school friends around on her actual birthday.
We left the house around 9 am to go get prizes for the birthday party. We also got food for lunch. It started raining while we were out, so when we got back we had to get the clothes in off the line and put them in the tumble dryer.
Once back at the house we had lunch. We were going to have a roast dinner but it got put off until Wednesday because it was thought that Granny would join us for our last evening in Hastings. We had toad in the hole for supper instead of a roast.
Tuesday morning I woke up early but then went back to sleep until around 8:15 am. Once I was up and around I started getting ready for Millie’s birthday party. We got the games prepared, her treat bags on the table and Stuart started making the food. Her guests arrived around 1130. Our friend Sam and her girls came, as well as Anna and the cousins. Janie and Digby, long time friends of Barry and Karen, came up as well. They brought treats and the Pass The Parcel package. Lunch was at 1 pm. We had more food than people. BBQ would be the meal for the next few days, at least for Grandpa. Before we ate the kids played games. It seemed that everyone had a good time.
The birthday girl was very excited.
Move the Marshmallows using chopsticks proved to be quite challenging.
Pass the parcel is always a party favorite.
And naturally we have to do the mummy dressing.
A unicorn cake for our unicorn loving girl.
Everyone was gone and the festivities were over around 4 pm. We just ate leftovers for dinner, which was fine by all of us. We played some games, the kids showered, and then the adults played cards. We called it a night around 10:30 pm.
Wednesday morning we headed to Sainsbury’s for one last look around. I had to get postage stamps, thank you cards, some pain killers for kids and adults just in case, Grandma’s medication and some flowers for Grandad Tom’s grave.
The rest of the morning was spent doing things in the garden and packing for our departure on Thursday morning. I didn’t garden, but rather supervised (aka sat and watched while they worked).
To be honest, I pulled a few weeds (and maybe a couple of plants). I have no idea what the difference is between a plant and a weed.
We got the laundry in from the line as we knew the rain was coming. It rained for about 45 minutes and then stopped. We had a lunch of leftovers and then headed to Eastbourne. Stuart was going to paint the bench at his grandfather’s grave side. He dropped us off at a small shopping center. I ended up buying a fleece at a charity shop. I didn’t bring anything that would keep me warm in Ireland.
Once Grandma and Grandpa picked us up at the shopping center we went to the crematorium where Stuart was finishing up painting the bench.
Grandpa and Millie at the pub.
Grandma and Jack at the pub.
We stopped in at a pub to have a drink. Getting to Granny’s too much before dinner time would have proved to be challenging for the kids. They just can’t be confined for very long. After our brief beverage break, we headed to Granny’s flat for a cup of tea.
Granny and Millie share a cuddle.
After about an hour, Grandpa and I took the kids to play at a park for about a half hour.
Jack got a bit dizzy on this round about.
Jack got a bit dizzy on this round about.
After the park, we headed back to the flat and then went to The Farm for dinner. The service left a bit to be desired, but the food was delicious.
This is a typical pub in an English town.
Grandma and Grandpa drove Granny back to her place, while the rest of us headed to the house. The kids showered and went to bed while the adults played cards. We all called it a night around 10:30 pm. I decided to stay downstairs and watch Netflix for a while, then retired for the last night of our time in St Leonard’s.
We were up and busy on Thursday morning. I changed out all three beds, finished packing for myself and the kids, realizing Millie had too much crap. It’s the way it always happens. We ended up playing a round of cards and then the kids watched Netflix for a while. We left Highwoods just before 11 am to head to the camper van hire place.
We decided to return the car to the airport before getting an Uber to Just go Motorhomes where we would pick up our home on wheels for the next 13 days. We stopped for lunch and then had an uneventful, yet traffic ridden, ride to the airport. We then Ubered it to the motorhome rental place. We had a brief review of our massive vehicle, then I made the beds to get the bedding out of the way. We stored some of our crap in the compartment at the back and then headed out. The kids were so excited.
The Griswolds have nothing on us.
Our drive to Scott and Clare’s has its moments. We had to stop at a lay by because of water leaking from the kids bench seat, most likely condensation, and then the bathroom door popped open. Lastly, I had to brave the rapids and go back to put Millie’s bag back on the bed after an abrupt stop....still getting used to the breaks....he says.
We arrived at The Richardson’s house just about the time our food order was delivered from Ocado, a local delivery service. Clare and I then went to Tesco to get the kids food for dinner. They were all so ramped up that they had difficulty not imploding.
After dinner, showers and a good old natter, we took ours out to the camper van, which was obnoxiously parked on the little street where Clare and Scott live, and we settled down for the night.
We were a bit of an eye sore for this street. Clare spoke to the neighbors to make sure we were okay to park here.
Sleeping in the camper van will take some getting used to. We got to bed just before 11 pm. Jack and Millie’s bed comes down from the ceiling, so we had to clip some bungees up to keep them contained for the night. She kicked up a fuss and wanted to sleep with us. I think the excitement of the trip and being in this open van made her a bit nervous. I come to the front of the van and sat in my seat while she fell asleep on the bed above my head. When I could hear her breathing deeply, I went back to my bed. I slept for a couple of hours and then had to pee. I then couldn’t go back to sleep for about an hour. It started raining just before I went back to sleep and rained most of the night. Friday morning we were all awake by just after 7. Stuart made coffee and we got dressed.
We went to the house and had breakfast. We loaded up and headed out. May and Millie road in Scott and Clare’s van and the boys road with us for the first leg.
The weather was sure to be a bit rainy, but the show must go on. We followed Clare and Scott.
Best buddies together again for 12 days.
After a bit of driving, somehow we took the lead. It worked out okay but the weather became terrentual and the road became more narrow. There were several times we felt the need to breathe in! The rain kept coming. We decided to stop at a pub on route and have a late lunch. It turned out there wasn’t a place to eat that was relatively close to our camp ground, so it worked out well.
A pub lunch is always a good lunch.
After everyone was full we headed on to Holyhead, Wales, where we would camp for the night before getting the ferry on Saturday morning to Ireland. The girls came with us and the boys rode with Clare and Scott. Our journey was another hour and a half. The girls did a craft that kind of went wrong because the pieces scattered all over the place. It was fine in the end, but took a bit of time to clean up.
We arrived at the camp ground around 5:30 pm. We ended up just selecting a pitch and parking our vehicles. There was no one there to check us in or seemed to really care we had arrived. It seemed to be run a bit on the honor system, which was fine by us. We had already paid so no one really needed to help us settle in.
The adults in the front.
The kids played Uno on our bed.
All of us except Clare. She was taking the picture.
We opted to feed the kids from our excess of food in the fridges and then we just snacked for the evening. It rained rather a lot, but we were all able to fit in our camper van to play games or just sit and chat. We ended up calling it a night around 10:30 pm. Millie kicked off again which resulted in Jack hitting her in the chest. I explained to him that no matter how angry he gets with her, he can’t hit her. He’s so much bigger than she is and really could hurt her. He truly doesn’t understand his own strength. It scares me sometimes. She totally provoked him, so I understand his frustration. I don’t know the answers. This parenting thing is not for the weak.
We were awake just before 7 on Saturday. We got up and put the kettle on. We messaged the RV group and the doors began to open. We had breakfast, but kept it light as we feared our ferry journey would be a rough one.
We were away from the campsite around 10 am and in Tesco to top up our food supply. We left Tesco and were on route to the ferry, with a stop at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch- the longest one-word name of a place in Europe. It happens to be a train station in Wales. It has 59 characters and 19 syllables. I have no idea how to pronounce it.
Millie shows her true colors, yet again.
This stop was a little like the stop Clark W Griswold made at the Grand Canyon during Vacation. Once you’ve seen it, that’s about it. We did walk around the gift shop and bought some sweets, then we headed on to the ferry port. We thought we would be really early, but they started boarding us not long after we arrived.
And the cars are going under the passenger levels.
You can’t tell, but the waters were less than calm.
The ferry journey was a bit rough as it was reported their wind gales would be the worst in years, and the ride proved that to be true. I felt icky for almost half of the 3 and a half hour journey. I tried to ease my pain with crisps but to no avail. Finally, we landed and worked our way to the camper vans.
This was a gambling hall on the ferry.
This was a gambling hall on the ferry.
Our journey through the Emerald Isle had begun. While we waited for everyone to disembark the ferry, naturally Jack and Millie needed a snack, because it had been nearly a half hour since their last snack. Once we were on our way, the weather showed why Ireland has the nickname it does.
We arrived in Summerhill at Gemma and Fechin’s. It seemed the kids slipped right back into their normal behavior with each other.
Naturally the boys got busy with gaming.
Gemma had made a delightful meal for us. We felt so cozy and welcome. It was so good to be back with our friends.
We were so thrilled to finally be in Ireland. We had this trip planned for about a year and a half, every since we knew the O’Reillys were returning to Ireland.
Our holidays continue in grand style.
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