Pasta, Pizza and Pompeii

My case is packed and i am ready to go to Italy on friday!!
My friend and i are off to Sorrento for a weeks holiday, been planning this for a while but only booked it last week due to my friend having a foot operation, which i can report was a great success and she got the all clear last week.
We will be doing a couple of trips whilst out there one being Pompeii and one to the island of Capri, with maybe a boat trip thrown in. This is our hotel just about a mile outside of sorrento, seems a little more quiet than some we looked at in sorrento itself , apparently overlooking the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius . Although the weather does not seem to great at the moment over Italy we are hoping for at least a few days of good sunny weather. Fingers crossed!!
We will drive up to my daughters tomorrow and spend the night there, that way we will be the right side of the dreaded M25 we can then make our way to Gatwick after the morning rush hour. We are parking at my friends sister-in-laws so no airport charges either!
It shall be great not to have to think about cooking as eating out is one of my favourite things to do in Italy (or anywhere for that matter!) you can sit and people watch ,even if it is just sitting with a lovely cappachino or ice cream. Mmmm i can just taste that ice cream now.
It will be an adventure i'm sure Lynda and i are not known for our sense of direction at the best of times LOL we even managed to get lost in a car park once that is another story!! Our families do get a little worried i think but we are big girls now and can look after ourselves JUST!
So Bonn voyage people for a week or so. The camera and charger are packed in readiness!

Rainham Marshes

On a visit to essex to stay with friends last week they kindly took us to Rainham Marshes, we had never been before so it was a pleasant change. Not to much activity bird wise but still a lovely walk. We were very fortunate to see a water vole swimming about in the streams, but my dear hubby had gone wandering off again!!! with the camera, i was not amused! i must admit to feeling very privileged to see the vole beautiful creature.

Our friend said "bet you can't guess what this was built for?"
It was a wartime look out station for german submarines that tried to secretly get up the Thames river. Who would have thought it!


Again something from the war if you enlarge the picture you can read all about it!


Description of the numbers in the above photo



Wildlife at last on the pond. The small ponds where the frogs had been in the early summer were mostly dried up due to lack of rain in the area.

They are still quite cute!

I am informed by my friends that this is a little grebe

well a baby little grebe stood watching it for ages diving in and out of the water

it was really enjoying itself!

Mummy little grebe

A giant frog in one of the many streams

And again

The visitors centre has not long been built, very well equipped with telescopes dotted around that you can look through, very informative staff as well. Well worth a look in fact there is an open day tomorrow which looked good.

Took a surprise trip up to eseex last week left on the thursday and back sunday. The surprise was for the eldest grandaughter who was 16 and the family were having a bbq for her, we kept it a secret from her until we knocked on the door the afternoon of the said bbq, her face was worth the 300 mile trip (priceless in fact) she was gobsmacked. Had a fab time just family and a few friends great food and good weather. So happy belated birthday Amy! Can't believe she is 16 makes me feel very very old!!!

A wonderful week

We all had a wonderful week apart from the weather being not as good as we had hoped, but we packed loads in. We played stupid games listened and sang along to their music and laughed so much your tummy muscles hurt, they are now so grown up i can't believe that they are beautiful young ladies. It was great so thanks girls.

Nothing like walking bare foot in the sand






Just about to go body boarding Jess and I
at Mawgan Porth beach


Jess how can you resist that smile !


Captured unawares love this one of Jess

Amy, after not surfing for two years just got

up on the board and surfed like she hadn't

been away!

As you can see the sea was quite rough,

The following day we went to flambards theme park and the sun shone.

There were a few big rides as you can see, but not being to adventurous Amy missed out on going on some as none of us would go on with her. But we had a good day. Apart from the rides there is an indoor part called the blitz , where you can take part in an air raid when you here the sirens going off, very effective the actual floor shook with the noise of the aeroplanes going over, there were different exhibits as well, unfortunately you were not allowed to take photographs.


The log flume where we all got soaked

as you can see it was quite high, great fun!

They all went on the racing cars tony thinking

he was Louis Hamilton!

The concentration was apparent! Amy did really well

considering she had never been in one!

All of us in the hall of mirrors. Quite a scary bunch

This was fun with me screaming at the top of my head

as it went around the corners, much to the girls delight

they found it funny!

These were helicopters that were on a monorail that

you had to pedal, i must admit i was a little scared as you

peddled off the station and looked down into the ground
it seemed like there was nothing between you and

the ground!!

Here you can see the monorail it seemed quite high

On a rainy day Jess receiving a guitar lesson from

grandad, she managed to play part of

"Scarborough Fair" after only a short time,

well done Jess

My beautiful granddaughters relaxing on the couch after dinner

We did finally get the car fixed it was the sensor after all and not the cam shaft thank goodness.

Took the girls back on the thursday took nearly 6 hours, 31/2 hours to the M25 then guess what a traffic jam AGAIN ! hate that road so much with a passion.

Got to stay up for a few days to see other daughter and some friends. Got to see our best friends daughter who is over from florida have not seen her for 10 years, she now has a daughter of her own who has a brilliant floridian accent, very sweet.

And finally you can all have a laugh, i was pestered by daughter sue to go to her combat and kick boxing class " oh we never do things just us two" i could think of better things to do together i thought. This was after a bottle or two on the friday evening and we had to be there by 9.30am next morning, i got up slight hangover but made it, and actually quite enjoyed it, it was certainly a good work out, boxing gloves on i started battering all that built up tensions away great therapy. And if anyone upsets me well i can now give a good kick box! I do have a picture but thats for me to keep !!! maybe one day.
Had a good time the house seemed so quiet when we got home no N Dubs no Lady Ga Ga to sing along to. So thanks to the Breadstick queen (Amy) and the choritzo kid (Jess) we had a fab time