Keeping up with the Culveys – July 2015

It’s 2015! Well actually by the time you read this it will be almost 2016, but we have busy lives and sometimes these things take a while. Still I’m here now, so sit back and hear all about the Culvey adventures…

January arrived following an unusually quiet New Years Eve for us, we stayed in just as a family! I know, weird huh, but it had been a very busy December with Indi in Panto etc, and we were just in need of a little home time as a family. It was a nice evening of playing games (although that proved to be a little interesting for some..) a few drinks, nice food, and watching the fireworks on tv. So this meant, New Years Day was a bit different too, no hangovers! Still will kept with tradition and had a day at home on the sofa, probably even watched a bit of friends as that has become a firm favourite of Indi and Kai’s!

India was coming to the end of her wonderful Panto run, she has just adored being part of the team, and has stayed with it throughout the season, even when she was feeling under the weather, she still gave it her all, we are so proud of what she has achieved and loved going to watch her perform. Her last performance was attended again by a strong contingent from the Culvey / Peck brigade, all were a bit emotional as it came to an end, especially Indi. We all met in the pub (except Indi, who had to work!) for lunch and then headed to the show. Once all was done, a few hardened partygoers, namely Brendan, Judit, and little Patrick, joined Indi for a second slap up meal of the day!!

The following weekend, we had planned to all head down to Longleat with Nanny & Grampy to visit Longleat Safari Park and then see the Chinese Lantern display. Unfortunately though, India’s busy social diary complicated matters as her end of season panto party turned out to be on the same day. In true Culvey style we did our best to do both! So we headed down to Longleat together in the morning. It was a bit of a damp January day but we don’t let such things get in our way and we headed into the park. The last time we had been there Logan wasn't even a consideration, and Kai was about 4 weeks old! Needless to say all 3 of them were much more attentive this time round! Logan was absolutely loving the up close and personal time with the animals, especially the monkeys of course (I think he can relate to them!). Then once we arrived at the main house, Kai, Logan, and I jumped out and Ly and Indi, headed straight off back to Bracknell to hit the Panto Party!!

It was all worthwhile, and she had a lovely evening with her friends. Meanwhile the Boys, hung around at Longleat for Nanny and Grampy to show up so we could visit the Chinese Lanterns together. Thankfully the rain stopped and we had a wonderful evening looking at what can only be described as amazing displays. It was a very popular exhibition, so much so that we lost Grampy (who else!) about 5 mins in, and didn’t find him again until the end! Still everyone agreed that it was a great spectacle, and it was such a shame India, and Lyra had missed it.

Still we all met up again on Sunday as the Girls headed back down to the West Country to join us at Nanny’s for Sunday lunch and a late Christmas party with the rest of the elusive Culvey family!!

Our busy start to the year continued, as we visited Caroline, Danny Boy, Christy and Irvine for the night, and had a great time catching up, and enjoying the delights of Sonos and Spotify!! This was swiftly followed by a momentous celebration of our lovely Jane reaching her half century! Yes, I know, she can’t be, but despite her radiant youthful looks it’s true! A rather pleasant evening at Corkers and Mem Saab was spent with Jane, Guy, and a few of their best friends, which thankfully included us!!

Sadly shortly after we joined Jane, for the very sad occasion of her wonderful Dad’s Funeral. He has been ill for many years and had been wonderfully supported and looked after by Jane, yet it was still a sad loss for all. A well attended ceremony was followed by a beautiful celebration of an incredible life. We all left feeling that we must all aim to live our lives as fully as he did.

Shawn the Sheep kicked off February, Logan loved it! Indi and Kai liked it, and Lyra and I thought it was…. well…disappointing! It certainly seemed like we were in the minority!!

Still it was time to celebrate our Princess’s birthday again and as has become the norm in the UK, it snowed just before the day, just a sprinkling, but gave the kids sometime to throw it at each other!! However, before we could really celebrate Indi’s birthday, we had an opportunity to meet up with our old friend from Prague, Anna. She was over from Warsaw, so we met up in a pub in West London. It was so nice to have that opportunity to start to catch up on all the years since we were last together. It also spurned us into organising for us all to get together later in the year, but we’ll come to that later!

In the meantime of course, it was Indi’s 11th birthday! We celebrated at the weekend, which started of course with Indi and Kai at Artemis Drama Club, and while that was happening, Lyra, and I took Logan to the pub with Auntie and Uncle for a fun lunch, where Loggie kept Uncle amused with his many faces!! The days of silly parties have gone, but we are very much into the sleepover days! This year we had Mai, Izzy, Spencer, Olivia, and Josh, along with our Kaibo, and Loggie!! Things kicked off with some crazy time on the trampoline, which I think was Logan’s highlight. The madness lasted well into the night as a mix of disco’s, stuffing faces with pizza, and of course the odd video game!

The following day was family day! So we had Grandad, Uncle Chris, Tan & Co, Nanny & Grampy, Auntie & Uncle, and Joyce & Jim. There was presents, cake, a little wine (adults only!), and lots of trampoline as always.

After all that craziness, Lyra and I slipped away for an evening at the Royal Albert Hall for the fabulous Cirque De Soleil (thanks so much Dave & Lee). It was as spectacular as everyone said it would be, and to have an evening of just big people was also a nice change!! 

And then it was half term already!

We headed off to Malta! Not the obvious choice in February but, Nannette, Sam, Fiona, Beth, and Amy were there though, so that made it the place we wanted to go to! It was just a quick four day trip, but we certainly made the most of it. We rented a nice apartment just up the road from Nanette’s place (we are a lot to take if we come to your house!!) and for our first day we headed off to the ancient hilltop city of Mdina. It was a wonderful mix of winding streets and amazing architecture. The kids loved the fact there was barely any cars around so they could all enjoy having a good run around, and Logan especially enjoyed being able to run with the big kids. The weather was a bit pants, wet and cool, but it couldn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.

Next day was Carnival at the capital city Valetta. The kids got all dressed up, Indi was a rainbow Macaw, Kai was a scary halloween skeleton (with fab make up courtesy of Mum), and Loggie was a pumpkin! It was a beautiful day, the sun shone, and people were everywhere! We took a ferry across to Valetta, and joined the masses around the ancient streets of the city. The carnival floats were incredible pieces of art, that are worked on for a year, they were amazing to see. We wandered around the city, had a nice lunch, and just took in the atmosphere. All of the kids had a great day playing together, acting out bizarre stories.

After the big day in Valetta, we took a day to have a look around some of the island. We started off at a great playground so the kids could wear each other out and we could have some lunch. Logan ran, and climbed, and played on the slides, or anywhere Kai was, as his big brother is his hero, whilst Indi, is kind of his second Mum!! After lunch it was in the car and off up the coast. First stop was the Blue Grotto, a huge natural arch in the cliff face, it was a wonderfully spectacular sight, the big kids and I went for a wander down to get a closer look, while the oldies sheltered from the cool wind in the car!! Next were the ancient temples of Hagar Qim, and Mnajdra. Truly fascinating, dating back to about 3,500 BC, they were amazing sights. We left the kids roaming around the countryside while we discovered the temples, so it was a great afternoon for everyone. By late afternoon everyone was bushed, so it was back to base and get ready for dinner at the local Italian. Clearly a place Nannette and Sam knew well, the owner knew what wine to bring, and we all had a wonderful relaxing last evening together.

The following morning we packed up our things, but we had a couple of hours before we needed to head to the airport, so we thought, lets go for a little stroll down to the harbour. It was a bit windy, but we thought, it looks ok…. well we got half way around, and the heavens opened! Luckily a quick sprint found us a little cafe where we could stay dry and have a cuppa while waiting for what was one hell of a storm to pass over! Once the rain had subsided, we headed out and enjoy the bracing wind and watched the waves crash over the harbour wall. A couple of us were thinking, this plane ride home could be a bit rough!!! Thankfully, all had calmed down by the time we left, and we gave our wonderful hosts big hugs, and promised to see them again soon!!

And before we knew it it was March! Which kicked off with World Book Day and a chance for Indi and Kai to dress up in their favourite book character. So plenty of artistic license going on here, Indi dressed up as a Rainbow Macaw (I think we have seen that one before), apparently there is one in a book she read once! Kaibo on the other hand went as Spyro, a dragon from Skylanders, which is a computer game!! Ok he does have a reference book on the game which he studies, a lot! but i don’t think it is really how book day is supposed to work!! What can I say, we have a bunch of kooks in our house!

In preparation for summer time, we decided it was a good idea for my Mum and Dad to have all 3 kids for the night as a test to see how little Logan would cope without his Mum and Dad, well without his Mum really as he is used to not having me around at times! So we dropped the little monkey’s in Steeple Ashton, and nipped off to Bradford on Avon for the night. We found a lovely little farmhouse, with a great restaurant, and enjoyed a very relaxed evening of fine food, fine wine, and very fine relaxing!!! And no calls ref kiddies!!! Next morning, we made our way back to Mum and Dad’s to get a report on behaviour etc, A+’s all round, very happy!! To celebrate we headed over to Trowbridge Park for some fun times in the playground there, a little bit of rain didn’t put them off and all 3 had a great time. Nanny & Grampy ventured over after a while and we all headed off for a nice curry in town. Very nice it was too, it must of been about 30 years since I had a curry in Trowbridge, and I am pleased to say things have improved immensely! Still the fun couldn’t last and we had to head back up the M4 to get ready for another week!

March also brings Red Nose Day, and all 3 of our guys embraced the silliness enjoying their noses!! And silliness continued with Kai’s early birthday sleepover. His school friends Daniel and Harrison, joined neighbours Sammy & Ewan, plus Logan and Indi for an evening of Wii Skylanders and Movies, before the living room was transformed into one big duvet and all bar Indi and Loggie crashed out in the lounge!! Next day started pretty early and they were out on the trampoline!!

I spent a week in Hong Kong, while Indi and Kai completed another Karate Grading, earning themselves green belts, and the recognition of the judges! Then as the month came to an end, Artemis put on an incredible show in Henley on Thames, both Indi and Kai were involved, but on this one Indi stole the show. She played a wise old woman, and at times she had the whole audience, and the cast captivated. For me it was the pinnacle of her acting to date, and I found myself getting overwhelmed with emotion at just how intense she was. Kai played a great role, but this time it was Indi’s night! Bring on the next shows!!

We started April in great fashion with a Good Friday Easter Egg Hunt at Jane and Guys. We were lucky with the weather, it wasn’t beautifully warm, but it was dry so the annual egg hunt was on and the kids were, as usual, very excited!! Clear rules were shared about how many eggs each there were and they were off, running all over the place and screaming with delight at their bounty! Logan did really well, completely understanding his mission and jumping at every chance to pick up an egg, it was lovely to watch! After all that excitement, the adults took some time to chill and chat, then it was time for Janes wonderful lunch spread! Everyone was beautifully catered for, even us non meat eaters!! As always it was simply a lovely day, and confirmation that Spring was here!

It also meant that it was time for us to pack our holiday suitcases because we were off to lovely, lovely, Phuket in Thailand! This year we had an added bonus, no, not Logan coming for the first time (although that was of course fab), but Mr Karim Ali flying in from Kuwait to meet us!! Before that though, we had the flight to enjoy, and enjoy we did as we had managed to arrange Business Class thanks to my Business travel racking up the BA points! Indi and Kai were in their element! I think they could have flown to New Zealand without any hassle as they were so comfy, well fed, and entertained!! Considering it is a 12 hour plus flight, Logan also did really well, and that ensured that Ly and I could also enjoy the delights! Once in Bangkok, it was the transfer over to Phuket, that felt like a long wait and journey, but it was worth it as the kids just exploded once we arrived back at our favourite destination, the Marriott Vacation Club. We settled into our apartment, the kids decided they were going to have a bubble bath in the Jacuzzi, and then our first trouble, Logan dropped the video camera into the bath!!! Thankfully we were well armed with iPhones as back up!!

The next day, Karim arrived to a fanfare of excitement from Indi, Kai, and Logan, and we were ready to holiday! As is our tradition, most of our time is spent around the fabulous pool in the resort, and this time it was no exception. Logan took to it brilliantly, the shallow kids pool was perfect for him and he was off being his independent self in no time. He had plenty of watchers though, the family, Karim, and pretty much ALL of the pool staff who made friends with Logan immediately, and he had them eating out of his hands in no time!! Trust me, everyday he was gifted ice creams, drinks, inflatable toys left by people heading home, they all ended up being offered to Logan!! Indi and Kai also made a pool buddy, Tom, and they spent hours and hours chasing each other around that pool shooting water at each other and playing those make believe games that only kids can! 

In between the days at the pool, and the beach, which became the favourite spot for Indi and Kai, we did do a few other things. In the evenings we worked our way around the restaurants (of course!) both in the resort and around it. We had a great night at a beach restaurant, a short walk along the beach, the food was lovely rustic Thai, very relaxed, the kids got excited because they had a pet hawk, that sat on Kai’s head, and Karim’s shoulder (pretty painful by all accounts!). Then just as we were about to head home, the heavens opened and we had a serious monsoon! We ran for cover but it was pretty relentless. As is common in Thailand, the locals stepped in to help. The owner of the restaurant got his pickup and took us all home to the resort to save us the drenching we were looking like we would face, so lovely and thoughtful.

We also had a celebration while we were their for our Kaibo, it was Easter time, and that generally means he gets to celebrate his birthday on holiday! The day began with breakfast and his first surprise, we had decorated the room while he was asleep so he had the full birthday cheers as soon as he got up!! He got presents despite being away, Skylanders was the order of the day, and we had one very happy 9 year old as he opened all of his surprises!! Down on the beach Indi and Kai borrowed boogie boards and had a great day in the surf, reminiscent of two years previous in Oman!! As the evening drew in, it was back to the room to get ready for dinner, and another surprise, the staff had decorated the room more, and left him a card! Birthday cake was out (also Skylanders), and this was even before dinner! Kai’s wish was for a Japanese Tepenyaki, so we had a lovely dinner at our favourite Marriott restaurant, a first time for Karim, but now a firm favourite with him too!!

We had the pleasure of experiencing the Thai celebration of Songkran (the water festival), commonly billed as the worlds biggest water fight!! The water guns were purchased, and the hotel had arranged a traditional march carrying Buddha with lots of offerings to the enlightened one, and then, a huge water fight and bubble party, it was unbelievable! Kai, and Indi loved it! Logan was a bit freaked out by it all and stayed at the side watching, but Lyra was right in their up to her neck in bubbles, it was brilliant!!

A couple of other trips were a rainy day driving around the island, a first for Karim, and he enjoyed the visit to Patong beach (where the sun came out too), Indi and Kai had a quick dip but something in the water left them all scratchy, so we moved on. We made it up to the Big Buddha, we fed the elephants, and then found a big Thai market for Karim to do his souvenir shopping. It was the usual Thai mad market, especially as the rain was still pouring, we gabbed a bite to eat there, except Karim who wasn't going to put anything in his mouth around there, especially after seeing the edible insects stall!!

Fantasea was also a must as Karim likes a good show, both Karim and Logan were thrilled at the show, especially all the animals and acrobatics. Talking of acrobatics, Indi, took the opportunity to have another go at trapezing and she did wonderfully well, completing her first catch!

Time was running out though, as it always does, Lyra and I got to spend a lovely evening together, just the two of us, as Karim became babysitter for the night. We had a lovely meal, and then found a great chill out cocktail bar… heaven. We loved it so much that for our last night we took everyone there for a final drink, has to be said, it felt much less like a chill out bar the second time…. I wonder why!!

Then all of a sudden it was time to say goodbye, to Phuket, and to Karim! It was an emotional departure for sure, we had loved the time together, a memorable holiday for sure. Karim stayed on for a couple of days of heavenly peace (and the master bedroom!), while we headed up to Bangkok and a couple of days with the very lovely Andy and Annie, for the the last time, as they were making plans to leave Bangkok after 19 years!! We spent a great day around the pool together, with cupcakes, and G&T’s, then our favourite restaurant in the world, Cabbages & Condoms!! Bangkok won’t be the same without them, but at least we got to say goodbye in style!

Once home we soon go back into the swing of things, we had a great day out together shooting (at targets!), first up was the archery (very Hunger Games!), then onto the air rifles with the tiniest targets ever! We all did pretty well, but Lyra has to take the prize as the top shot in the Culvey household!!

Then before we could say good bye to April, we had one last important celebration, Lyra’s birthday! We had a full house, and extra special surprise guests… Diego and Athoya! Diego was back from Spain for a quick visit and they spent the afternoon with us to help celebrate our number one Mum!! There was cake, there was wine, what more could a girl want!!

Change was in the air as we entered May… I made a short trip to Kuwait to talk to Alshaya (the company I used to work for in Kuwait) about the potential of returning. It was a very enjoyable process and I met with many old colleagues during my interviews. It all seemed to go very well and people were very positive regarding my possible return to Alshaya. While I was there, I also had the pleasure of catching up with old friends. Marcelle and Mazan had me over for a lovely dinner, and then before I headed home I caught up with Jackie and Carl too. While I was having all this fun, Lyra and the kids headed up to Northampton for the bank holiday weekend and had a great weekend with Abi, Kiera, and Cam.

Something we hadn’t done for a long time was Legoland, so we decided to put that right and had a great afternoon on the rides, and watching the 3D movies (actually Logan really didn’t like the 3D movies!). It was Logan’s first time at the park since he was a baby, so he was having a ball running around the place and watching the pirate show (how many times have we seen that show!!!).

India was well into her last term at Jennetts Park now, and the leaving ‘rights of passage’ were beginning. First up was the week long Residential Trip to the Lake District, for an outward bounds adventure. Indi was very, very, excited to be going away with all her classmates and there wasn’t a hint of nerves or sadness as we waved her off on the bus. Which is more than can be said for many of the Mum’s (mainly), and kids! My word there was a lot of tissues being passed around! Indi had the time of her life, as you would expect, she threw herself into everything, and got an amazing experience, and lots of wonderful memories to stay with her long after she leaves the school.

I had a quick trip to Moscow in May, and got the chance to have an hour to look around the grounds of the Kremlin, behind the high walls of Red Square. Fascinating place, like a little old town hidden in the middle of Moscow. I also joined the Russian team, for a team dinner on a cruise up the river through the centre of Moscow which was really great, and seeing the city from a completely different angle was wonderful. It has to be said, the Russian team at TCC do make you re-evaluate that preconceived idea you have about Russians, their warmth, and hospitality is always second to none. The only downside of the trip was that I developed an allergic reaction to some antibiotics I had taken the week before. At the time, I had no idea what this rash was that broke out all across my body, but it was very unpleasant. This was the first time in many, many, years I had taken antibiotics, and I am sure it will be the last! With my lovely rash driving me nuts, I was desperate to get home, so when a big storm hit Moscow just before we were due to fly, I was gutted to hear that our flight was cancelled!! It took 5 hours to get back out of the airport to get some sleep in a hotel, for about 4 hours before having to be back for our flight the next day. Richard, who I was travelling with, didn’t make it out at all and had to sleep in the airport.

Just as Indi was returning, it was Kai’s turn to head off. He was off to Hayling Island for a Cub Camp for half term. This was a big step for Kai, as he had only previously been away for night on his own, and at times had not been too happy about it. But he showed us all how much he had grown, by grabbing the challenge and really getting involved in all the activities they had on offer, including abseiling! We were all very proud of our Kai, seeing him grow, is wonderful. He even managed to wear more than one pair of pants!!! Sadly my delayed return from Moscow meant I missed seeing Kai off in his big trip, but it seemed our big lad, could cope without having Dad there to say goodbye.

My Dad hit the ripe old age of 75 in May, so we all trundled over to wish him a Happy Birthday and for the kids to give Grampy a good fight, except Kaibo, who was still on Cub camp!! Nanny knocked up a lovely lunch, and we spent the afternoon in the garden with the kids all having a great time together. It was a bank holiday weekend though, so on Monday, we had some fun with Loggie and Indi at a local petting zoo, the little piggies were our favourites although the rabbits were a hit too.

Half term was finished off with a visit from Abi, and the kids. Fun in the garden and on the trampoline was the favoured way to while away the days, and the weather was kind! Kaibo returned and joined in the fun too! On the Sunday, Indi and Kai were back at their favourite falconry, Feathers & Fur, to get up close and personal with their hawk friends. Logan decided it was a bit cold and wet for him, so we spent the time in the shop looking at lizards, snakes, insects, and fish… snakes were his favourite, the warmth was mine!!

Kai and Indi take horse riding lessons all year round, in the cold, the rain, and wind, and then summer comes along, and they get to enjoy their lessons in the beautiful sunshine. June was that time where they could enjoy time at the stables, riding in the warm sunshine. Their progress has been fabulous this year, both becoming confident and competent riders. They are progressing onto jumps, so the next stage should be fun!!

In early June, Jed and I had signed up to do the Trailblazer 10k cross country at Bedgebury Forest, near Tunbridge Wells. It was a sunny but rather chilly morning, but we were ready and up for it!! As we walked down to the start, it was clear that we were going to be traversing a few hills on this course, and we weren’t wrong!! The harshest of all being the last kilometre which was one long constant climb to the finish…brutal! Finishing felt great though, running through such beautiful countryside was brilliant.

Following our bout of exercise we reconvened with families at Virginia Waters Lake and had a very pleasant few hours strolling through the rather lovely countryside, and even went wild and had ice creams!! After all that exercise it was inevitable that a pub would beckon! And there happened to be one just next to where we had parked, so it would have been rude not too really. A lovely dinner was had by all, and a couple of sneaky ales too!

 It may have come to the attention of some of you that as my years are advancing that i have had to give in to spectacles. Well it was time to accept that the ones I had were no longer cutting it. So I ventured off for an eye test, yes, my eyes have got worse, so your new glasses will be £700!! What!!?? Maybe squinting isn’t so bad after all…. Happily though, a quick chat with Sister in Law Rachel gave me new hope, so we headed down to the West Country, for a catch up with an eye test thrown in! It was a really fun day, as always the kids got on like a house on fire, they really do get along very nicely, especially considering they really don’t see each other often. The kids had a great runaround when we took Mylo, the nutty Lab for his walk across the fields, Logan was in his element with Lucy and James, throwing himself repeatedly into the long grass and getting soaked! We barely saw Indi, Kai, and Alice as they were off on their own big adventure! After all that we were ready for our dinner, and the yum butternut squash with feta, pistachio pesto, and pomegranate seeds has become a regular Culvey favourite!

My new specs arrived a couple weeks later and they have been like a revelation, just shows getting a decent eye test done by somebody who really knows what they are doing, and finds you the right glasses can really make a huge difference! Thanks Rach, fab specs at a fraction of the price!!!

 June took me over to Istanbul for TCC’s annual Sales, Ops, and Marketing Conference, which was fun as always, with 4 days in one of my favourite cities. On the way home, I received my offer from Alshaya! After the usual bit of negotiation, the deal was struck, we were heading back to the land of sand! Kuwait beckoned!! 

There was still plenty happening in June though… we had a fun afternoon and evening at  the Love’s place for a BBQ and general merriment, the weather was kind, and we enjoyed the great grub, great company, a lot of larking about in the garden, and the odd beverage to help it all go down!  

It was the start of the busy time at school too with the kids having International day, Indi flew the flag for Kuwait, while Kai stuck with his ever so cool Hawaii look! It was also Sports Day for Jennetts Park, sadly this year I wasn’t able to go, but Ly and Logan cheered on Indi and Kai as they competed for their School Houses. As usual, they gave it their all on the field and in support of everyone else, it was even relatively warm and sunny, which I think could have been a first in the last 4 years! Of course there was the parents relay, which I believe Lyra’s team won, but there was talk of some cheating by certain members, Darron!!

Kai spent a Sunday morning walking to Paris for charity. Not all the way, but the combined distances of the cubs and scouts of 1st Jennetts Park, plus a few parents, did clock up the miles equivalent to to Paris. Logan and I took part too, although to be fair, Logan seemed to spend most of the time on my shoulders!! Yes, my back was aching!

Then to celebrate our decision to head off on the foreign ventures once again, Lyra and I enjoyed a night away in the ever so unique Crazy Bear hotel in Beaconsfield. It’s a fabulously weird place, with a wonderful restaurant, and a bar that does some pretty amazing flaming cocktails! It was a gift from Mr Chris Peck, and we were very grateful, it was just what we needed!! Chris and Gemma even came and did the babysitting, so double shout their way!!

We know summer is well and truly arrived when it’s time for the Jennetts Park Fete, having said that, this normally means it’s chucking it down with rain! But not this year! The sun was out and it was a lovely English summer day. Lyra was running a stall, ‘decorate your cookie’! You can imagine the levels of sugar being coated to these cookies, Ly was in her own personal hell!! All that stickiness, you had admire her resolve and her use of wet wipes :-) While she worked the rest of us played. Indi was off with her buddies, and we didn’t see her all afternoon, Kai was also running riot with his friends, but they were more visible, buying see things and playing in the sun. Logan and I looked around the stalls (after he had decorated his cookie!), he scored goals in the footie challenge, and won some power rangers in the process (very happy boy!). Kai turned up with a water pistol, and that was it, Logan wanted one too. So Kai was despatched to fulfil his Brothers need. What followed was rather wet, rather loud, but a lot of fun. Logan chased them all endlessly, loving getting the chance to soak everyone!!

Following my success on the job front, I had been working on a plan to get redundancy from TCC, in early July I received the good news, TCC would indeed make me redundant! Being able to walk away with a few quid in my pocket was a great bonus, and would certainly help with the expense of the move overseas!

Our great friends Dave and Lee had been trying to get a night out since about January, and finally in July we made it! So it was off to London to enjoy a night at the theatre! The Book of Mormon was our chosen show, and it was absolutely brilliant, we laughed until it hurt!! Great tickets, and great company, our thanks go out to Dave for making it happen. A few drinks after, a bit of a Chinese, and then a night in a hotel without kids to wake us up at some inhumane hour, it was heavenly!! A real treat indeed.. 

We were drawing in towards the final days for Indi at Jennetts Park, and the next step was the Leavers Party, secretly organised by the Mum’s (sorry Darron) of the year 6er’s. As you can imagine it was wild, noisy, and fuelled by all those healthy treats you find at kids parties!! It was lovely though, they are a great bunch of kids and they really enjoyed themselves. Along with all the food, dancing, and general craziness, they all took a few keepsakes home, a personalised JP Leavers Hoodie, a autograph book, and pen, plus the memories and email addresses of all their best buddies. This was particularly lovely for Indi as she was off to a school without anyone else in her year, and then of course she would head off to Kuwait, so having the means to stay in touch was so important.

We topped that off with a more personal party at The Love’s (again!), more BBQing, more boozing, and marshmallow melting on the patio heater!!

Artemis (drama club) had completed a great year with the wonderful Good to be Bad show a few months back, but for the end of term, we got to see a show of lots of short skits and songs that they had been working on since, seeing them work together was great, and it was enjoyed by Chris & Gemma, Nanny & Grampy, Grandad, and Abi, Keira, and Cam.

Then before we knew it, the end of term was here! Indi had one last very emotional Leavers Service at the school where each of them played a part in sharing their memories of Jennetts Park, and their future hopes, along with a wonderful moment where the kids all went around the assembly hall and said goodbye to all the teachers and staff. Indi went last and took an age to get around as every teacher, and especially Chris the Dinner Lady, wanted big hugs and kisses with Indi, I thought she was never going to get around!! She has clearly made a wonderful impression at this school and it was a very proud moment for us both to see the love for Indi pouring out of everyone there…

And then, it was summer, the holidays could begin!! But all of that fun will have to wait until the next update, so hang in there, 2015 Part 2 will not be far away!

Much Love,

Dan, and his band of Culvey’s!!

xxxxxxx