20 DAYS

The countdown continues and it is hard to believe it is all coming to an end. Looking back we are amazed at what we have managed to achieve, see and do. With 20 Days to go I thought I would look back at my early blogs and give a summary of some of the highlights:

January: First Day on the job; Ozis win the Ashes; Sun set over Corfe Castle; Australia Day and a surprise at work; gale force winds; preoccupation with Australia/Weymouth connections; its COLD.

February: 5000 year old barrows; Ireland-England Rugby game; weird village names; Roman baths in Bath; holding the Council Mace; A ramble around Portesham; my first soccer (oops football) game; Snowdrops.

March: Getting drunk at Worth Matravis; The family finally arrives; Lulwoth cove in the sun; Spring at Kingston Maurwood; my impressions of the English;

April: Anzac day ceremony; Kathy gets a job; a love of Paris; A cuppa with the Queen in London; Easter at Lulworth Castle; Jean comes for a visit; the mystery of Stonehenge; Steam train ride to Swanage; Sherborne Castle; some cheese at Cheddar George; Glastonbery

May: Gardens on steroids as the Chelsea flower show; Stratford and the home of Shakespeare; baby swans; FA Cup final; Montacute House with Sam and Jem; A celtic journey to Wales; mists of Snowdonia; Slate mines.

June: Nottingham and Robin Hood; A vomit scene from the exorcist; Cambridge and a catch up with Lucy and family; Windsor Castle; Legoland with the kids; Dorchester Carnival; my obsession with roundabouts; A story about beer; A week in France; Resort in Cote d’azure; The glamour of Cannes; the glitz of Monaco; hill top villages; beautiful French food

July: Hawks in Hampshire; Greta and Phil visit; museums and plastic dummys in London; Summer has gone missing; Cornwell sunsets and the wild Cornish coast; Eden domes; St Michaels Mount; Brussels chocolate and beer; Cobbled streets of the old town

August: Jean visits again; A big Homer Simpson, Yorkshire Dales and a warm pudding; St Andrews golf; Edinburgh; Kathy turns 39; Campervaning around Scotland; rain on the Isle of Mull; Sunsets over Arisaig Beach; Else of Skye; The majesty of Ben Nevis; Lockness hunting; Eilean Donan Castle; Castle Urquhart; A highland fling at the highland games; Beatrix Potter; Lakes District; Castlerigg stone circle

September: Twins first day at school; mist over Dartmoor; Chalet on the Cornish coast; Canterbury Cathedral; red wide with Sam and Jem; White Cliffs of Dover; Dover Castle

October: Oxford; Blenheim Palace; Cotswold countryside; Guinness; Dublin; dinner and a pint in Dingle; Rock of Cashel; camping at Kinsale; Killarney; Ring of Kerry; Kathy goes to Paris with Trudie; Ozi’s lose the world cup;

November: Prague and the old town; Prague Castle; Russian history; Autumn sets in; The end is close

In addition to all of this I have (hopefully) contributed significantly to W&PBC as part of my work, Kathy has brought in some greatly needed ‘pounds’ and developed her skills further and we have somehow managed to prevent the kids from getting completely out of control.

I am exhausted just looking at all this. Would I do it all again – you bet!!!!