Home time!!

It's always appreciated, getting home after a great holiday - there's something about the break of routine that makes holidays just fab, but then there's something about returning to that routine that is equally as fab... I guess it's that regular ebb and flow of life, that variation that keeps things interesting, but having something to give yourself to (like work) other than continuous travel can also be nice. Don't get me wrong. If I could afford to travel my entire life, i probably would do so - but i think i'd have to do a bit of volunteer work here and there just to make life interesting!

It was great to have the mums here to stay, and a little odd to be dropping them off at Heathrow just a couple of days after getting back to England... but it was amazing how quickly those first few weeks flew by after a stunning and restful holiday! True to form though, that wasn't the end of our guests - just a couple of weeks later we had Cam and Helen come to stay to say farewell before they headed off for warmer pastures in Australia. Great to see them as usual and to hear their plans for the next leg of their international romance! Abbey also enjoyed the opportunity to embrace still more family!

Our old landlords came to visit (though only for a meal... not to stay the night) and it was great to be able to entertain Kate and Richard in our new pad... having not seen them for quite a few months since moving out of our last place.

Next visitor was Ani, a friend from NZ who was on a global jaunt for a few months, taking in bits of America, Europe, and India particularly - was great to be able to spend a weekend with Ani and his visit happened to coincide with the world famous goose fair... ok so it's not exactly world famous - maybe England famous... so we went for a ride in the slightly dodgy ferris wheel, before deciding fairs are average anyway and home for dinner was a much better option. Next day we went for a bit of a gander at the Major Oak in sherwood forest and for the first time since we've been going there (we've been five or six times) we were actually allowed around the base of the tree... instead of just to the fence that surrounds it... evidently there was some tree loving thing going on where you could dig up and take home a little sapling growing from beneath the great tree. Would probably have been interested if i had a home in England. But I don't. So we watched instead. And took the obligatory family photo beside the hole that Robin is alleged to have hidden from the Sheriff in...

The weekend after farewelling Ani, we had a weekend to ourselves, so got a little restless and decided to go exploring in the peak district again. We managed to stumble across a big water reservoir - or a number of them actually... and what was meant to be a nice gentle walking track... when buying a buggy for young Abbey we had decided to go large and rugged with the Mountain buggy, however we kinda overestimated its abilities i think, or perhaps that was, that we underestimated the ruggedness of the average wander that Mez and I do. To cut a long story short, we started out with Abbey in the buggy - she stayed in it a mere few minutes, before complaining about the ride, from whence I carried, and Mez struggled to get the (empty) Buggy around the few miles of track. Some great views of the derwent dam though, and a thoroughly enjoyable day out. Some wise words we found on a couple of the benches that we paused beside... perhaps life would be a little more relaxing if we heeded the advice... but then we'd only get to see and experience half of what we do... So left is the face of Abbey in pram... right is in the open air... i think a love of the outdoors is in the genes... Though I also think a love of technical gear will have to be developed, cos this was the weekend we finally decided that we HAD to get a front pack for Abbey to sit in - both of us had achey arms after the walk - great for toning, less so for enjoyment factor! Anyway great wander, and great to learn a little about the water system that supplies the three cities of Nottingham, Derby and Leicester...

Next on the agenda for us was hosting (uncle) Dennis who was on his way back from a wee jaunt up to Scotland. Sporting a gigantic pink fluffy elephant which had flown all the way from New Zealand, tripped through Italy, and all over England and Scotland

(thanks for the elephant to David, Robyn, Catherine & Michael). Abster of course was most impressed.

After Dennis and the Stunning pink elephant we had Paul come and stay with us... Paul is a fellow kiwi, and a fellow UK overstayer with us... he works up in Newcastle with a big Youth Ministry so was cool to hear some of his adventures and find out how the new job was going... We went on a little mission ourselves to a place called Dovedale which is again in the Peak District National Park and which was recommended to us by a patient of mine... Great spot, though freezing... not that we noticed the cold much more after climbing the exceedingly steep wee mound that overlooks the peaceful wee stream. Abster decided the top was a suitable place for lunch... we had to wait to get down the other side and off to a little market town that was on the way home. As is always the case when we get to spend time with Family or friends, a great time was had by all!

Anyway, great to have some time at home - great to have so many visitors to share a bit of hospitality with, and great just to have some time to check out the great outdoors in the UK. Must be time for another weekend away eh?