Dec 13 / Administrator

Autumn 2012 – California

The blog has been quiet for some time as we have been in California for nearly 3 months.

Our trip started with just over a week in San Jose with Jo and Todd and family. The weather was great and we spent one afternoon fishing off the pier at Santa Cruz. Alexander is the really keen fisherman and happy to stand watching his line for ages. Oliver enjoys fishing as well whilst Sienna on the other hand is happy to sit or balance on mummy’s hands.

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Meanwhile….

Back in Europe…

Lucy and James got engaged during a trip to Paris.

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We are so delighted by the news and really look forward to their wedding in the summer of 2013. They make a delightful couple.
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After an enjoyable week we headed to Palm Springs and our usual home there. It was lovely to meet up with many of our friends already at the Ocotillo Lodge and others who returned for the winter shortly after we arrived. Annie and Gerry soon settled back into the Palm Springs lifestyle – no phone, no responsibilities other than to ourselves and glorious weather. Annie joined in with the daily aquarobics session whilst Gerry swam at the deep end of the pool regularly doing 1.2KM at a time. Annie also subsequently joined a yoga group lead by our neighbour.
Palm Springs is quite lively at this time of the year with a parade of aircraft that taxied from the airport down the roads to the Palm Springs Convention Centre what an unusual sight.

Almost as unusual as the massive statue of Marilyn Munroe that has been installed Downtown – hopefully it will become permanent,

Just before Gerry’s birthday we headed back to San Jose for a few days.

We had a great time at a pumpkin patch with all sorts of fun and amusements for the family as well as lots of pumpkins. The children all chose one each that Gerry got to transport in one of the many wheelbarrows provided!

We also celebrated Gerry’s birthday by eating lovely gooey cake

We returned to Palm Springs and resumed our gentle way of life until Thanksgiving and the arrival of Family P. We had a lovely few days with a Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Annie and lots of swimming. Sienna has become a real fish – the first day in the pool she celebrated completing her first length. Thereafter, she was forever down the deep end swimming backstroke, crawl, breaststroke or doggy paddle depending on how she felt – she seems so natural in the water. Her fear of swimming below water has been overcome and she was diving to 4ft to collect toys within an hour.

Annie and Gerry also took the children to Bug Mountain for what has become a traditional walk for the 5 of us.