Travel Tales

2008-12-04T11:05:00.005-05:00

Calling Colleen in Raleigh!

2008-11-13T07:07:00.002-05:00

Hi Colleen, thank you for signing Gracie's guestbook. I've tried emailing you but has come back undelivered. Beth was wondering if Maggie was on hsb and would like to keep in touch. Hope you are good and at some point, read this.
Deb x

Quick update

2008-11-10T10:21:00.003-05:00

All alive and well here. Have a fried mother board on the laptop so hoping the USB - IDE adaptor I've sent away for will enable me to retrieve all my files and photos from the hard drive *sigh*

I will get this blog updated soon. Meanwhile, I've just launched my daughter's fundraising blog. Please visit and pass the word around. If you could put her button (as seen on my sidebar) on your blog, I'd be really grateful.

Thanks for popping in.
Deb

Arlington Court and Church

2008-10-29T13:22:00.003-04:00

Zoo fun

2008-10-29T13:08:00.005-04:00

EJ was really taken with these peacocks. He is animal mad and I'd a hard job convincing him that he most definitely could not cuddle the cheetah :)

Croyde Bay Devon

2008-10-29T12:01:00.008-04:00

Well, we're back over a week so thought it was time for a quick update. I keep tossing up whether or not to can the whole blog thing but when I do get around to updating them, I find it enjoyable. I'm working on my time management and computer time has been slashed. I find reading and learning when online more beneficial than anything I have to say!

The trip to England was enjoyable although we did have a character strengthening weekend on the way back home :) I blame Land Rover although I guess they weren't even remotely at fault. Hubby this year, switched allegiance to Toyota and picked up a '97 tidy Landcruiser which would have lasted for years to come ... or so I thought. After less than two months, he was pining for a Land Rover and bought this old defender on ebay in September, to be picked up on our way home. If the house ever does sell and we move back down under, the plan is to drive part of the way and ship from the middle east. If we're stuck here, we may take a tiki tour round the interior of Turkey next year. Either way, I guess we'll need more space.

An object of great beauty - in the eyes of my husband

As the Landy didn't have a gear box- among other things, we hired a car trailer in Portadown, unhitched it in England and then drove it home. Hubby figured that one of the tyres was suspect and chugged along fairly slowly next to the hard shoulder on the motorway. On the Sunday morning we had a blow out and what should have been a three hour trip to Wales, turned into an eleven and a half hour endurance test. We'd spent a hairy night in the Birmingham F1 the previous night with youth of today running up and down the corridors banging on the doors (although a close encounter with this crabbit old thirty something woman at 4am put an end to that) so it was lovely when we finally arrived at the home of our friend's to celebrate their son's birthday. Thank you again guys for your kind hospitality. We had a wonderful time.

And now, as they say it's back to porridge and I'm sitting here playing with photos, some of which I'll share here.

The coast around north Devon is pretty. We'd never visited this area before and the kids don't get to the beach often at home so they really enjoyed themselves. It is great fun doing all these things again with an inquisitive two year old.

Checking in from Devon

2008-10-10T11:12:00.008-04:00

I've been without internet access for a whole week now! No noticable withdrawls.
We're in north Devon by the sea and the weather has been favorable. Tomorrow we hope to drive on down to Cornwall.
We ended up not camping. At 4.30am on our way to the port, it dawned on dear husband that he'd forgotten to pack the one (only) thing he was in charge of - the tent! We had sleeping bags, new inflatable mattresses, replacement foot pump etc. - just no tent. So we ended up staying in a friend's mobile home on their farm. I felt awful as we had planned to pop in on them for an hour after arriving in Wales and ended up as house guests. Still, it was lovely to catch up and the kids had a blast.
My internet credit is almost done. I'm allergic to radio and it's blaring in my ear so I don't think I'll feed this any more coins. Will be back on the 20th God willing.

Home away from home - will she ever camp again!

England

2008-10-02T15:03:00.005-04:00

At 3 am we plan to drag everyone out of bed and drive for four hours to catch the morning sailing to Wales. We had originally planned to camp near the port this evening, however it is freezing cold and blowing a gale outside. Here's hoping it calms down a bit as we're booked into a campsite in Wales tomorrow night to break the journey down to Devon.

Once in Devon we've managed to hire a cheap caravan - off season is great - and will do the same again in Cornwall. On the way home, we will attempt to camp again. When you have this many kids, the budget dictates it. They on the other hand, view it as a huge adventure.

The reason we're heading to the south west of England is that our daughter is due back at the institute for brain injured children where she attends, for her bi annual review. TG was sustained a traumatic brain injury at three months of age due to a series of hospital blunders (of course, they're not saying that) which has left her with severe cerebral palsy. Someone asked me recently if I wasn't bitter and mad. The answer is no. I believe that this happened in the permissive will of God. I've been following a thread on another blog lately and am grateful that I understand and believe in the sovereignity of God. But that is by the by and probably a topic for different blog.

We plan to make this as educational for the kids as possible. I've been saving my Tesco coupons and have enough to pay for one of the ferries and a couple of days out. In Devon we hope to use them in Exmoor Zoo and visit The Big Sheep. We also have our NT membership so have packed the guide book and will plan as we go - weather permitting. In Wales, all the museums are FREE which is brilliant. A few years ago we did the Big Pit. This trip we hope to do the Museum of Welsh Life in Cardiff which is an open air folk park. In Cornwall (the reason for heading down there) we will revisit the Eden Project.

So, hopefully wifi permitting, I'll get some blogging done on the road but for now, it's off to bed.

The country came to town ...

2008-09-20T17:12:00.013-04:00

And so did 3 million people ... or so it seemed while trying to navigate one toddler through the thronging crowd.

There were ladies in bicycles ...

animals galore ...

tractors and steam engines ...

tanks (hey this is N Ireland) ...

wagons ...

and an American preacher

Award

2008-09-11T17:28:00.002-04:00

Thank you Flomom for the award :)

Around Armagh

2008-09-10T17:43:00.013-04:00

Another humble abode

I'm determined to get the most out of my NT membership but it just won't stop raining. A couple of Saturdays ago, we drove to the coast thinking we'd do the Giant's Causeway and beach. Although not quite biblical proportions, the deluge must've been getting pretty close. For those of you who don't have the privilege of inhabiting this cold, damp island, we've had the worst flooding for over 40 years (or something like that.)

One afternoon the last weekend in August, it did stop raining and the sun actually shone so I took a walk around the grounds of The Argory which is an old country estate in the county where we live. Here are some snapshots of the well watered garden.

I'm not sure what these great plants actually are. The leaves are huge and the inside intriguing ... to little old me anyway. Any clues? I'd love some in my garden.

Next weekend our local shopping town hosts 'The Country comes to Town' - one day a year when they close the town off and bring in animals, tractors and stalls etc. Usually it's the same old stuff from the previous year, even down to the layout of the stalls but this year is the 10th anniversary, so there may well be subtle changes. EJ is tractor and animal mad so it will be nice to go with an enthusiastic charge. The full report shall appear here.

Award

2008-08-21T08:33:00.006-04:00

Kim at The Narrow Path and Pam at Mom's Mutterings have blessed me with the Sharing The Love award. Memoirs of a Mommy created this award in honor of the donor that saved Noah's life. The purpose of this award is to raise awareness about organ donation and to share the love.

Thank you both, I'm honored to receive it. Had Miss T's cardiac reconstruction surgery been unsuccessful, she would have required a transplant. We know how difficult it is.

Cliffs of Moher

2008-08-18T15:37:00.007-04:00

I'm guilty of blog neglect. Nothing new there. Thought I'd wind this up with a blurb about the cliffs of Moher but found a nice website that tells ye all about it. You can even take a little tour.

These photos were taken in Doolin with the cliffs in the background. The ferry to the Aran Islands run from this quaint little village. The volcanic rock around the sea front was pretty amazing.

I'm not sure what will be happening in September. Miss T is due for a reassessment in the south of England which is temptingly close to the channel and Europe. I was severely tempted to try and squeeze in a trip taking in Pompeii in Italy, old Corinth in Greece, Ephesus and Cappadocea in Turkey and Iran (the border crossing is a bit of a nightmare but once there, the country and warmth and hospitality of the people is amazing), however budget and my cute little night owl have scuppered that plan. At the minute I'm trying to arrange a home exchange in England although couples that can travel in school holidays don't necessarily want a pile of kids in their homes, and the ones with a brood like us, have them in school. Maybe Dad and T will just fly over. We'll see.
If I can get the old scanner up and running, I'll score the archives for past exploits. Thank you for visiting.

West coast of Ireland - Connemara

2008-08-09T16:58:00.007-04:00

Photo album

Connemara National Park was founded and opened to the public in 1980. It features 29.57 square kilometres of mountains, bogs, heaths, grasslands and forests. Dotted throughout are peat bogs and mounds of cut turf that are being harvested for burning. The scenery closely resembled that of Skye and the Scottish west coast.

More to follow ...

West coast of Ireland - driving dangerously!

2008-08-09T16:39:00.006-04:00

Total gridlock

Almost a head on collision

West coast of Ireland - Murrisk

2008-08-09T16:12:00.006-04:00

Just as the big blue blue skies in America are amazing, the light in the west coast of Ireland is equally as fascinating. The first campsite we pulled into was at the foot of a fog engulfed mountain. Behind us was the sea and sunny blue sky. By late evening, the fog turned slowly black and the sun shone brighter. It never rained.

View from the tent

The following day we walked around an old abbey and stopped by the National Famine Monument and Croagh Patrick, which was only a couple of minute's drive. The bronze sculpture is monument to the Great Famine of the 1840s and depicts a 'coffin ship' with skeleton bodies in the rigging. This was of particular interest to the dc as they've been reading about it over summer.

We were trialling a tepee tent. Fantastic! Having looked at every other type out there, this is the only thing that ticks all the boxes. It's amazingly cheap, easy to put up (less than 10 minutes), has no inner tents to mess around with, has a sewn in ground sheet, is water proof and mould proof, exremely spacious - can sleep 12 and is lightweight to transport around. Cost £295 with free postage to Ireland. Total saving on equivalent - £1500! If you need details, get in touch.

West coast of Ireland - Drumcliff

2008-08-09T15:29:00.006-04:00

We're back again after a whistle stop tour of the west coast of Ireland. Had three full days sight seeing - it was unanimously decided that after a second grim night in the tent with junior that we'd spend all day Friday tiki touring around and then do a long drive home late evening. Once we sort out his night time thing at home, we'll pick up where we left off :) Despite the sleep deprivation, it was a really neat and refreshing couple of days! I guess I'm used to running on not much shut eye.

We lunched in Castle Coole but didn't hang around for a tour as they were pretty booked up then drove to Sligo stopping in Drumcliff to see the high cross (above) and round tour which are all that remains from a monastic settlement founded by St Columba in 574.

The poet and writer WB Yeats is buried in the churchyard which houses the high cross where his grandfather was once the rector. Athough originally buried in France after his death in 1939, his wishes were granted in 1948 when his remains were brought back to rest at Drumcliff. I confess to knowing absolutely nothing about his work. The location is pretty with Ben Bulben visible from the rear of the church. The sun broke through and was hitting the mountain when we were there which was magical. The epitaph is taken from one of his poems which is entitled "Under Ben Bulben". Another excerpt from the same poem reads "Under bare Ben Bulben's head In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.

From here we headed south and set up camp in wild and woolly country at Murrisk.

Trips on the drawing board

2008-07-27T16:17:00.003-04:00

Next weekend we will be tripping around the west coast of Ireland with our tent for four nights. The joys of hubby working pt and having a flexible boss! I've been trying to check out camping grounds as we've never camped in Ireland before despite living here for the past 11 years. We haven't even been down that coast either. Anything linked to the caravan club charge upward of Euro 24 per night for a pitch but I've managed to find some modest but adequate sites between 6-10 Euro - much more sporting.
We hope to visit Castle Coole in Enniskillen - I really do intend making the most of this NT membership, Drumcliff Celtic cross in Sligo (birthplace of W.B. Yeats), Connemara National Park, The Burren and Cliffs of Mohr which will take us down as far as County Clare. I'd like to visit the lakes in Killarny but time does not permit.
We will be trialling our new tent which we hope, current non existent budget permitting, to take to Europe in September.

Around Ireland - Mount Stewart

2008-07-23T18:36:00.011-04:00

Monday it was dry so we decided to head to County Down for the day. Hubby is off Monday's and usually takes Miss T for therapy but things have been closed for the July holidays.

First off we visited the Ark Open Farm. They are now taking Tesco Days Out coupons so I paid with them which was very handy indeed. Every quarter, the points you accumulate are converted into shopping coupons. If you chose not to spend them in store, you can quadruple their value for travel, dining or days out - so £2.50 becomes £10.00. Earlier on in the month we went to the Ice Bowl and the kids did bowling, skating and romped in Indiana Land - all paid for with my coupons. Makes it easier to shop there, although I'd rather support a local organic farmer's market - if we had one.

After we'd seen the animals, fed the lamb, stroked the chicks and played in the park, we went for a walk through the grounds of Mount Stewart - another National Trust Property. I thought it would be best not to drag the little ones through the actual house as we can only fit Gracie's chair into the car which left our 2 year old on foot and bubs in a sling.

Lakeside walk with Temple in the background

We love walking through gardens and the lakeside one was stunning. Dotted throughout were a lot of New Zealand natives - ponga ferns, club palms and the pohutukawa to name but a few. Very nostalgic. I was surprised that they were suited to our climate.

club palm

Ponga Ferns

Pohutukawa or 'New Zealand Christmas tree' is found in the North Island of New Zealand around the coastal areas. It blooms from November to January but peaks mid December, hence the nickname. One year we visited the Coromandel in the North Island and they were putting on a fine display.

Cj and I walked through the formal gardens en route to the car which very pretty too.

As usual, I took way too many photos but seeings I like flowers, I'll put yet another slide show on my blog! As sole author, I reserve the right to bore my readers with whatever takes my fancy.

Around Ireland

2008-07-09T17:25:00.012-04:00

If the housing market picks up and we get our house sold, this summer could well be our last one in these parts. So, we plan to make the most of it and take day trips all over ... that's if it stops raining long enough!

I joined the National Trust so hope to check out all their properties and visit the beaches and Giant's Causeway on the north coast. Further afield we may drive south to Kerry and Clare, taking the tent with us. In saying that, the cost of diesel is crazy here - over £1.33 (roughly $2.70 ish US) per litre and set to rise.

So watch this space ... weather and fuel prices permitting of course.

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I took a walk around Ardress House which is near our home in County Armagh.

Believe it or not, this used to be a farmhouse. I think the owners must have had delusions of grandeur or something, as it has been extended in all directions in neoclassical fashion. Note fake wing at front. No European bureaucratic rubbish in these days. We can't even convert our roofspace without having to almost rebuild the entire house.

There is a fantastic old cobbled farm yard to the rear, complete with chickens and a couple of peacocks which EJ thought were amazing although they took one look at him and fled. Mustn't have fancied being rugby tackled by an over enthusiastic two year old. The out buildings are unpretentious and date from around the 1850's. The equipment is simple and built to last. I reckon that I could have lived back then :)

Next week we hope to make the most of our membership and call in on the Argory (another NT property) which is a couple of miles further up the road from this one. Armagh is known as Orchard County due to the milder climate and fruit produce and dotted all around the countryside are large houses and estates like this one. Makes our teeny wee house feel like a garden shed!

American Legacy

2008-06-10T15:00:00.006-04:00

Miss TG never misses a beat! When she was a tiny tot, we'd have to smuggle food past her - she'd even spot you chewing a mile off.

On Monday she was returning from her weekly hyperbaric oxygen therapy session in Belfast with Dad when suddenly a huge cheer went up from the back seat. She'd spied the golden arches and must've remembered all the McFlurry's she'd eaten on holiday. At home we tend to keep her dairy free but when you're on the road doing fluid balance, you do what it takes. There was nothing else for it but for Al do a u-turn on the middle of the dual carriageway and drive on through.

This super duper funny kid obviously has her priorities sorted.

Colonial Williamsburg

2008-06-04T09:29:00.004-04:00

Set in 301 acres, Colonial Williamsburg is the country's largest live, interactive history museum. There are 88 original buildings and more than 500 meticulously reconstructed ones which include colonial homes, government buildings, trade shops and taverns where Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and others conceived the ideals of liberty and independence.

I could ramble for a long time about this place but have to finish up here. Our weeds are 7 ft high in the polytunnel so I'm going out shortly now that hubby is home from work to make a start. If I'm brave I'll post a photo of the jungle on my very neglected homestead blog. *Note - we are not home steaders but aspire to one day be as self sufficient as possible. It may inspire me to get out every evening for an after shot.
Sometimes my own stupidity knows no bounds! When we were on the road I'd planned to use this blog as a journal, however most of any computer time was spent resizing photographs. It was only when I was almost done the other night that I saw the 'multiple file uploader' tab on the pix resizer feature that I've been using for over a year now! You live and learn!

Ferry to Scotland

2008-06-04T09:28:00.005-04:00

After a drive around Jamestown Island we took the free ferry to Scotland! I noted a lot of familiar sounding names on my map ... Kilmarnock and Irvinestown among them. The ferry leaves from the Settlement near the Riverside Exhibits.

Once across we took a short drive and came across an old plantation, before heading back over. Our evening temperature reading in the car was 83 degrees. Overall, our weather was fantastic. The previous evening we'd driven over to Virginia beach, taking the tunnel under the sea. I had planned spending Gracie's birthday at the beach as she really enjoys the water, however it wasn't really our kind of place. We ended up doing Yorktown and our drive this evening instead, then headed to cracker barrel for tea, stopping at Walmart on the way home to pick up cake.

Smiths Fort Plantation house

I plan to do a short project this month on slavery. Check out our home school blog to see how we get on!

Yorktown

2008-06-04T06:49:00.005-04:00

On October 19, 1871, the decisive military campaign of the American Revolution culminated with the British surrender to combined American and French forces under the command of George Washington. The Siege of Yorktown effectively ended the six year struggle for American Independence and set the stage for a new government and nation.

The Yorktown Victory Center is located near the battlefield and has re-created a Continental Army encampment, complete with sleeping quarters, supply tents and cooking fires. The boys really enjoyed themselves and got to try on military uniform. All the staff here were fantastic and made is such fun!

In the gallery exhibits, we learned a little about the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution and the development of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

After the encampment, a short walk lead us to the 1780's Farm which provided a glimpse at home life after the Revolution on a typical Tidewater Virginia farm. We saw tobacco being grown and I really enjoyed walking through the re-created buildings.

photo album

The historic triangle

2008-06-03T17:36:00.004-04:00

Jamestown Settlement

Prior to flying back we had four nights in Newport News Virginia, which allowed us to explore the peninsula. This place is amazing! If you want to see living history, come here.

Jamestown is part of the 'historic triange' (along with Yorktown and Williamsburg)
Thirteen years before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, a group of 104 English men and boys made a four and a half month voyage to the banks of the James River to form this settlement. It had been their intention to make a profit from the resources of the New World for the Virginia Company's shareholders in London, however once they confronted the harsh realities of their new home, the focus shifted to survival.

The first place we visited was the Powhatan Indian village. Had it not been for these people and their willingness to pass on survival skills, the first settlers would most certainly have died.

From the Indian village, a short walk let us to a reconstruction of James Fort which was fun!

Our last stop was the riverfront discovery area where the kids got to walk through replicas of the three English ships that brought the settlers to the new world.

Now that we'd seen the start of Colonial America (1607) the following day we'd witness the end (1781) in Yorktown, a 30 minute drive to the other coast on the peninsula.

Home again

2008-05-29T10:36:00.007-04:00

We arrived at our home six hours ago - 10.30 am local time, after a twenty something hour day. Everyone crashed all over the house and are in various stages of being woken up in order to try and make sense of the time.

The journey was okay - we're all intact :) Airline travel with six kids was never going to be a picnic. The check in procedure at Dulles was relatively fast but not without it's frustrations. TG was taken through quickly but the search was something else. I can understand the taking off of shoes but I think removing flip flops and T's teeny little shoes were probably taking doing it by the book too far. I also had to remove her from her chair and hold her for an age while it was given a going over (can't imagine them doing that to every disabled adult) and her food was banned so a supervisor had to be called for permission to be granted for us to take it on board. Priority boarding was a joke as everyone was on top of each other and I wound up on the wrong row with all the kids through no fault of my own with some cranky adults who decided to behave like children breathing down my neck. At this point hubby was back at the gate dismantling the chairs and I was in the row behind where we were supposed to be, holding TG. Bubs was giving his lungs a fantastic workout and EJ was having a two year old protest in the isle while the world and it's baggage was trying to get past. After herding everyone on like cattle, there was a backlog in baggage so we ended up with a long sit anyway.

Once on board EJ cried himself to sleep, much to the annoyance of the group behind who repaid us by shining their lights onto us during nap time :) The cabin crew weren't as nice as on the outbound flight - I formed that opinion before ds2 vomited all over the isle. After landing I was actually asked to get off the plane (with bags and kids) alone. Had been waiting for hubby to come back from getting the buggies to the gate - something that should have been done for us. Seven pieces of hand luggage and three little ones later...

Someone asked me recently about the differences I found between the USA and Ireland. Well, there are many but this morning's arrival springs to mind. Security was a doddle - the guy on passport control was dressed in regular clothes, made eye contact and chatted. However, the lift we were to take to baggage reclaim was broken and we were all instructed to go in another - 2 buggies, 8 of us and an airport customer care person, which really should only have held one buggy and adult. I have no idea how we did it. This took us to departures from which we had a 10 minute walk through the bones of the terminal. Welcome to laid back Ireland! The staff in the USA are very well trained in customer care everywhere you go and although the staff in Dublin were pleasant enough, I guess the pace of life is slower ... or they're oblivious ... or something.

This was evident on public transport. In Williamsburg the shuttle bus was fast and efficient and came with a hydraulic ramp for us to board TG. Once installed she was properly strapped down by a very helpful driver. However, we weren't permitted to bring the buggy with youngest two on unless it was collapsed, even though there was stacks of room. Al ended up walking. This morning, the driver on our bus didn't get out, parked way too far from the kerb and as for a disabled ramp - forget it. I struggled with the boys buggy and another passenger helped Al with TG. Once on board the driver was indifferent to the safety of the kids but it was handy none the less.

But I'm rambling here and the old brain is more foggy than normal lol. The main thing is we were brought back home safely which is something to be thankful for. We've had a really great time and the kids have learned lots. It has been truly wonderful.

Thank you to my visitors here. I hope you have enjoyed following our little adventure. I'll be tweaking and adding to this over the next wee while. The kids have so much to tell and want to post about their Jamestowne, Yorktown and Williamsburg experiences.

For now, the suitcases and washing await :/

Birthday girl

2008-05-26T23:32:00.006-04:00

We are currently in the east coast of Virginia in the historic Williamsburg area which is wonderful. (Check out www.historyisfun.org) but I will blog about that later.

Today was a special day as TG superstar turned seven years old. Here are some photos of her big day.
(I have no idea why the first few photos are repeating. If you bear with it, they will all be displayed)

North Carolina

2008-05-25T22:09:00.005-04:00

On our way back up north we drove through North Carolina and stopped in Raleigh to meet Colleen and Maggie. It had a slightly surreal feel to it. We have mailed for a while and it was over in a blink. Thank you so much for coming out to meet us. I could have talked all day lol. Will post a picture here once I've done a dump from the small camera.

Prior to coming here, I'd no clue as to what the states we'd be driving through were like by way of scenery. In Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee and the south of North Carolina, we were amazed at the sheer volume of trees and the huge wonderful hills. The only place I can liken it to is the dense native bush up north in the Coromandel region of New Zealand ... only this is continuous for hundreds of miles. It has a wild and wonderful feel to it and bar the highway exits with a huge range of fast food places (which we are most grateful for) and the other motorists on the road, you get the feeling that the place is totally unpopulated! Road trip snapshots (to follow)

We drove through NC in two days, breaking it overnight near Asheville and then in Raleigh having visited the Children's Museum in Oak ridge TN (thanks Brian) which was a really fun stop. I liked the fact that the kids were able to interact with everything in all the exhibits - the motto of the museum is "please touch". We also learned a little about the history of Oak Ridge which was established in the early 1940s as a base for the Manhattan Project - the massive U.S. government operation that developed the atomic bomb.

Other unplanned breaks were Fort Dodds - a historic site dating back to the French and Indian War of 1754 and Halifax - an early 1700s colonial town in the Roanoak Valley.

Cherokee by AJ

2008-05-24T22:00:00.005-04:00

The kids are keeping journals on the road. Here is an extract from AJ's. He is doing a wonderful job!

This morning we went to the Cherokee Indian Reservation. First everyone went into the museum where I learned all about the history of the Cherokee Indians, what they did and what they used for tools and weapons. We saw all types of weapons such as tomahawks, flint arrow heads and spear heads. We also saw different objects that they would have traded for other things from the settlers.

After this, we visited the Cherokee Village and our tour guide showed us our way around. We saw the huts that they lived in. They never lived in wigwams like other tribes did as they were a settled people and farmed the land. The tour guide took us to bits of the village where we saw people making arrow heads out of flint, which they used for hunting and war, making baskets out of river cane, weaving belts and mats, bead making and man making blow darts. He gave a demonstration of one and shot at a target, it was very accurate.
There was a man making wooden masks for sale in the shop. Masks were used in ceremonies. There also was a man that told us the Cherokee culture and way of life and about the different tribes in the Cherokee Nation. We saw different types of traps that they used to trap game such as a bird trap. There was also a bear trap and a fish trap that was placed in a stream. All of the traps that we saw were one third of their real size.

Chattanooga/Chickamauga

2008-05-23T20:36:00.017-04:00

Kids are asleep and my wireless is working tonight so had to blog about the wonderful time we had this week with Pam and her family. Pam is a blog buddy from homeschool blogger and has also been my trip advisor lol. The kids were soooo excited and had counted down the days.

We met in Chattanooga Tennessee where we were staying and rode the Incline Railway which was amazing (and not really as scary as it looks). From the top (lookout mountain) we got fantastic views of Tennessee and Georgia. It is such a beautiful place and it would have been easy to spend a day there just watching the paddle boats on the river.

From here we went to lunch at Steak and Shake - another neat dining experience. We've never tasted shakes like it! Then onto Chickamauga (Georgia) to visit the battle fields.

CJ has requested that he blog about the visit to the stream, fire snappers and the rest. But I must mention that we went back to Pam's house for a lovely meal - and even went away with some of the scrumptious desserts which we indulged in late in to the night once the kids were asleep, hehe. Thank you so much Pam - your caramel pie and brownie trifle as soooooo good and tell your MIL that we really enjoyed her cake :)

It was great to meet you all and found it hard to extract the kids from your house. I can see why the neighbour's kids have adopted you lol. Next time you'll have to come visit us!

Brian & Pam at the Gordon Lee Mansion
Thanks for showing us your town.

For more show & tell posts visit our host Mary in Canada!
More photos here
ps may I present the lovely Pam. I always thought her HSB profile pic was mysterious ;)

Big Rock

2008-05-19T23:11:00.017-04:00

After our flying visit to the Mammoth cave area, we headed back north west to Daniel Boone Forest. (I'd sack the travel agent for bad planning but that would be me!)

We had a lovely two nights at Big Rock Cabin which is the real deal. Very reasonably priced, it was simply beautiful ... more
On the Saturday we drove an hour to Lexington to the Kentucky Horse Park and spent a sore but enjoyable afternoon there ~ the kids had been saving to go on a horse ride so mother was coaxed along too! Beanie was in her element. more horsie photos!

Daniel Boone Forest is very pretty and yesterday we visited the red river gorge before a very long drive to where we are currently staying. Hubby decided upon a scenic route (we really hadn't a clue where we were going - wasn't even on the sat nav) which, admittedly was very pretty but added quite a while onto the drive. Just as we hit the major highways, we experienced real torrential rain and fork lightening which was rather spectacular but slowed things up somewhat. I'd hoped to get to church down here but it just wasn't possible.

I guess we wouldn't have seen these fellas on the highway (yes it was a gravel road!)

Which brings me to today which was truly amazing. We visited the Cherokee reservation doing both the Museum of the Cherokee and the Oconoluftee Indian Village. I will write more next chance I get about these wonderful, gentle people and post some photos of our visit (each one has to be resized which is time consuming) Another travel tale! (album added)

Best get some shut eye before heading off to Chattanooga tomorrow. It really has been an education. Whether chatting to Silas, the elderly man in the Daniel Boone forest trading post who told the kids all about his family and their experience of the civil war, who had tears in his eyes when he said goodbye to us, or the elderly Cherokee gentleman who signed their guides today and told them of his reconciliation tour to Ireland two years ago. It is a moving and humbling experience to share.

Update from the Smokies

2008-05-19T21:42:00.014-04:00

Weyyyy, we have wireless! I'm perched precariously at the edge of a loft ladder in a grossly over priced cabin - location, Yogi in the Smokies (of bear fame) camping, North Carolina.
After I got over the sheer joy of being reunited with the world wide web and checked the mail, I figured I'd squeeze in a brief update before hitting the hay.

Wednesday we left Ohio and drove to a cheesy but fun, wigwam motel type place near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. We had a not planned incident that evening as I found a tick merrily burrowing it's way into our two year old's head. Uggghhh. Poor little guy. I'm happy to report that one very late night trip to the hospital and some antibiotics later, he's doing just fine and cracking us all up as per usual. Funny kid.

On the way down, we visited the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hills (north KY). As it was late in the day they were very sweet and didn't charge admission but we still got a couple of hours to look around and missed the couple of hundred school kids that they'd had through earlier on in the day. The staff there are brilliant. I'm sure they were ready to knock off but took time with our guys, engaging them in conversation (not hard if you've met them) and explaining everything to them. Although the religious sect dissolved in the early 1900's and there are only three known Shakers alive today, the community has been wonderfully preserved and the handcrafts sold are all made locally. I'd recommend a visit and really can't praise all the staff highly enough. Will write about it in more depth at a later date on my other blog. New photos

In the Mammoth Cave area we visited Kentucky Downunder. Although it's not a big flashy park, it is unusual in that the kids get a real hands on experience and included in the price of the admission, is a tour of Onyx Cave. After the large groups of kids left around 2pm, we basically had the park to ourselves and few other tourists. Not realising that we were on central time an extra hour was gained, thus enabling us to squeeze in all the activities they had on offer.

Miss T got to feel a rabbit and Kangaroo (which she wasn't too sure about). The older ones touched some reptiles and snakes and had a lesson on the didgeridoo! Nothing prepares you for the bird feeding. Yes I'd been told that when I entered the enclosure, carrying some nectar that these things would land on me, but it was still unnerving none the less!

Some more of the way too many photos, here ...

Thank you ...

2008-05-13T21:44:00.005-04:00

Pizza Casserole

Master chef

Thank you Bill, Nancy and Corinne for the lovely evening and really yummy dinner. Pizza casserole is great! We will remember it as fondly as the games of corn hole. (Mail us the recipe!) It was a privilege to meet your family and hope to see you in Ireland or downunder!! Kids say thanks for the swim. x

Last note from Ohio

2008-05-12T18:06:00.013-04:00

Having some down days before heading south to Kentucky on Wednesday. The kids are enjoying the weather and being outdoors. Out the back there is a creek and some woodland so they're having a great time exploring. Saturday evening we decided to light a campfire and make smores. We went shopping for the ingredients and Mike, the neighbour lit his fire in their garden at tea time and gave our guys a smore making lesson. The kids then lit the one in the woods and ate up large on s'more! We've also enjoyed playing corn hole. Bill and Nancy, the neighbours on the other side taught the kids how to play this game and every couple of days they are found over there. Both sets of neighbours are lovely people and have been extremely kind and welcoming. This weekend I also had the pleasure of meeting Caron. We've been emailing for a bit and it was like meeting a second self!

We have had such a lovely time here in the home of the V family. It has been a time of real relaxation.
Better finish up here and try and plan our our last week. On Wednesday coming we'll be here three weeks which is really hard to believe. Time has flown so quickly. From here, we drive south and have two nights near Mammoth Caves and another two in Daniel Boon Forest (Both Kentucky). After this we drive down to North Carolina and have another couple of nights near the Cherokee Indian reservation before heading to Tennessee and Georgia. From Georgia the vague plan is to drive up to North Carolina and Virginia. As it's Memorial Day weekend, I'd best book up the accommodation now. TG will celebrate her seventh birthday on the 26th, two days before we fly home which will be special. Hopefully will be able to update from time to time on the road. D

Snaps from the campfire

Appalachian Festival

2008-05-10T21:00:00.009-04:00

Yesterday we attended the 39th annual Appalachian Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Upon arrival there were yellow school buses as far as the eye could see (which blew my theory about it being quieter on a weekday) however after a couple of hours the place emptied which made it easier to navigate.

I don't fully understand my son's fascination with dead animal body-parts. I felt sorry for the headless bear! Finds included some skins and a coyote tooth. Dd got a prairie dress and apron as part of her birthday present from me which is really pretty and hand made. The appalachian way of life is very interesting and is how most of the traders we met, actually live.

Holmes County

2008-05-09T22:06:00.012-04:00

Yesterday we headed up to Holmes County to visit the Amish Community which was a mixed experience.
To date, our tomtom has been one of the best investments ever. We've used it in Europe and it has more than payed for itself over here in the USA. The map reader (that would be me) is happily relishing her redundant status!

ahhhhh this is the life

Yesterday however, tomtom added an extra hour onto our journey. Instead of taking us to Berlin, we were miles out making our drive a total of four hours. What we had come to see, was the much advertised 'Amish Flea Market' at Walnut Creek which boasts 500 sellers under one roof.
Upon entering the building we were confronted with the biggest lot of trash I've ever encountered not under my kid's beds. No kidding. Firstly (should anyone think I'm being too harsh or critical) the majority (98%) of the sellers were not Amish. Secondly, if I'd wanted to buy football gear, star wars figurines, nasty jewellery, dream catchers, pictures of Marilyn, skull ornaments or any of the other plastic junk, I'd simply have visited one of the many flea markets near where we're based, thus conserving the fuel budget.
On the ground level, we did happen upon a booth manned by a couple of Amish ladies selling lovely American country stuff (also found just up the road) BUT upon closer inspection, the rugs were made in India, the quilts imported from China and the lovely wood carvings all had the same woodworm holes and knots in the same place. Turns out they were moulded resin. The tie dyed lady with the rasta hat had brought her stuff over from Nepal. Great items in another setting.
I asked a couple of sellers, one Amish, if there was any non imported, hand made, authentic crafts being sold here. They stated that they didn't know and for me to ask at the information desk. We then went upstairs to find stall after stall of more fairground rubbish :( I passed another Americana store and inspected the quilt label to the embarrassment of my dear family. The owner yelled out that she'd give me $2 off the $20.00 price. I explained that I wasn't looking for a price tag but to see if this item was also imported. We talked for a bit and basically this was just another flea market. Why it was plugged as the genuine thing is anyone's guess! What would you think?

Things did pick up as we drove a couple of miles into Berlin and stopped at Schrock's Farm. There the kids and I got talking to a lovely Mennonite gentleman who was making candles. He was such a nice guy and is going to email the kids when we get home. We chatted at length about various things and I burned his ears with my flea market experience. Basically, people come here to cash in on the tourist trade and sell anything and everything. The Amish themselves can buy things made overseas for cheaper than the cost to make it, so that's what they do which is incredibly sad. He put on a CD to let me hear of Mennonite singing. I can honestly say that I've never heard such beautiful music. There is a richness, depth and purity that has to be heard to be appreciated. I managed to find one CD to buy at a bookstore in the town which we listen to in the car and is currently playing here in the house. I've always figured that my much needed voice box will come with the new body, but these guys are already sorted. Who needs instruments in when they harmonize like this!

We also got a look in the quilting barn (fantastic) and in town, the general store. The kids went to a puppy store in Schrock's farm. I'm surprised none were smuggled out!

AJ & CJ - smiles say it all!
Kids activity page

Waynesville

2008-05-09T21:38:00.004-04:00

Wednesday we had a down day and in the afternoon took a quick spin up to nearby Waynesville, a charming old town (founded 1797) that is unique for it's antique shops. As the little ones were in the car the eldest and I took a quick look into a few of the main shops before returning home. Miss T is enjoying the jacuzzi (must put it on her wish list) and checking out the different Baby Einstein and Cedarmount DVDs here.

photos

Creation Museum Kentucky

2008-05-08T22:29:00.007-04:00

Tuesday

Once mother finally surfaced for the day it was decided that we would head down to Kentucky to the Creation Museum which is just under a one hour drive from where we are.

It was well worth the visit and I would highly recommend it. We did skip one gallery but the rest was great. And yes, I did see Ken Ham. It was kinda funny as I was coming back from the ladies bathroom wheeling my two little guys and flew round a corner just as he was heading into a room. I must have had that strange 'it really is him' look on my face as he chuckled and said hi. I'd told the kids that he wouldn't be there as he's due to be lecturing at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast later on this week which I guess threw me a little.

Deb's tips ...
If you are BF, wear appropriate gear. I didn't and there are no nursing rooms. I wound up feeding my little guy, standing up in the disabled loos :/

If you are in a wheelchair, take someone with you to open the doors. Excellent new building but no obvious automatic doors at entrance and bathroom doors I found difficult to manage with a buggy.

Tickets are pretty expensive (hubby and kids also did the planetarium) but comparable with theme parks. They do a good work though, it's well staffed and the exhibits are brilliant. (If you live here, a family pass would be worthwhile.) I felt that they could have thrown in the Disney type photo for free :) Maybe wishful thinking on my part as I was torn between thinking that it would be a really neat souvenir, but didn't want to part with $15/$20 for one/two Polaroid photos. (In the end I bought t-shirts for the boys on sale for the same amount.) Their squished penny machine is twice the price of all the others (I'm being picky now.) Maybe I'll write to them lol.

Footnote to my readers. I appreciate that we all have differing world views and I enjoy the mutual respect to be found here in blogsphere. You guys like 99% of others, are really great. However, if you disagree with my beliefs (Christian and creationist) and anything I write is offensive to you (which I try not to be) you don't have to read this. In my last blog I was left nasty comments, something which I personally would never do to anyone.

If you are interested in finding out more about what I believe, feel free to get in touch and I'd love to share.

Caesar Creek Park

2008-05-07T17:07:00.012-04:00

Playing blog catch up again. I was the last to be wiped out with the 24 hour gastric flu that has done the rounds - that should teach me not to be so smug. Sunday morning I felt queasy so CJ stayed with me as a runner when hubby and two of the others attended church. By evening I was well and truly dying, or so it felt at the time. (Another lesson in giving sympathy to sick husband).

By Monday afternoon, I was still a bit green around the gills but able to take a fifteen minute walk around the Pioneer Village at Caesar's Creek which is only a short drive from where we're staying. A non-profit organization, this park is 'dedicated to promoting a deeper understanding of the history of Southwestern Ohio Frontier during its settlement from 1793-1812'. You can tell I nicked that bit from the web.

Dandelion clocks

We were able just to park and wander around at our leisure. As a non staffed site, the buildings are generally kept locked and opened for events, however we got talking to a couple who were doing some maintenance and they were able to let us into the general store and opened up the school house for the kids to have a look at. ~Read more/photos ~

Airforce Museum Dayton

2008-05-03T19:10:00.005-04:00

This morning we had heavy rain initially so headed back to Dayton to visit the Airforce Museum - the largest of it's kind in the world apparently. It is run by the Air force and admission/parking is free which for us, was surprising.

They have everything here, from the Wright brothers exhibit through to the latest missiles :/ The male folks really enjoyed it and I could see the educational value :) We learned a bit about the cold war and saw the plane devastated Nagasaki. The holocaust memorial section was, as to be expected, very moving but good for the kids to see.

Home exchange

2008-05-01T23:37:00.019-04:00

Friday night

We have another casualty here to the tummy bug so I'm still getting caught up. Miss T is the latest to go down with it which is a pity as we managed to get her in for an adaptive swim lesson at the YMCA this afternoon and had to cancel. They run them every Friday and we were so keen to attend as we have nothing like this back home. Hubby has taken the older boys are over there now and hopefully they'll get to use the climbing wall.

It doesn't seem like long ago that I discovered a family from the USA had joined CHEF (the Christian Home Exchange fellowship that we're members of) and sent off a hopeful email to them. Now it has become a reality and we are installed in their home in Lebanon OH, and they in ours! I guess it was the AIG Creation Museum in Kentucky that planted the original seed.

We arrived on here on Monday afternoon to spend some time with the family who left for Ireland on Wednesday. It was great to meet them and they were wonderful taking time before their own big trip to settle us in and show us around.

Monday evening we went to a Mongolian restaurant which was fun although hubby couldn't eat anything and EJ vomited :/ It works by filling one bowl with veggies and meat, and another with sauce. The fellas in the above photo cook it up for you. Extremely yum!

The following day S took us all up to the Boonshoft Children's Museum in Dayton which was wonderful. They joined up for us which means we can access all different museums that take part in the scheme and likewise we joined up the National Trust back home which will allow them to visit historic homes and parks. The kids had a fabulous time. ~slideshow~

That evening C had arranged a potluck tea with neighbours and friends from their church. It was a great evening and we really enjoyed meeting everyone. The food was A1 and we had our first taste of sweet tea! The boys met a like minded young man who collects fossils (this area has heaps) and they found a snake outside. If you are reading this, thanks a million guys and the kitties are doing fine!

Virginia to Ohio

2008-05-01T22:18:00.009-04:00

After our rest up we hit the trail once again, completing the remainder of the Skyline drive and a small part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This great 469 mile scenic drive follows closely the highest ridges between the Shenandoah and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, attaining altitudes of more than 6000 feet and averaging between 3000 and 4000 feet. We'd loved to have driven on down, (just as I have this hankering to keep on driving through all of the states :) but made it to the visitor center at mile 5 to visit the Mountain Farm exhibits. I find this way of life, fascinating. ~read more/photo album~

From here we drove into West Virginia and grabbed some shuteye before leaving the following day to meet our host family in Ohio.

Shenadoah

2008-05-01T20:13:00.012-04:00

After exiting the Skyline drive at Rockfish Gap, we camped out in another cabin which fronted onto the Shenadoah river. The first was on the north branch of the river and this one, the south.

The following day the gentleman next door who was down for the weekend, took hubby and the kids out for a trip on the river in his pontoon. He had life jackets for all as he does this with his grandkids which is really great. Once again we experienced wonderful southern hospitality. On their return, they moored at his little jetty and he got tyre tubes and fishing rods for the kids so they stayed there and paddled around the river. The boys were also able to use the canoe which was supplied.

We drove into the little town of Shenadoah to pick up supplies. As the photos show, entertainment need not be expensive. We have checked out everything, from fire hydrants to fire engines! Even the thunderstorms were fun!

Miss T is travelling very well and loves the close proximity of everyone together when we go on holiday. Here she is in the cabin working away on her laptop (which I'm borrowing to write this post :) ~ More photos ~

Skyline Drive Virginia

2008-05-01T10:40:00.013-04:00

Well, the Blue Ridge Mountains are most definitely blue! We learned that the blue haze occurs naturally, as the trees release tiny water droplets and other gaseous molecules into the air. Unfortunately though, 70 to 80 percent of the visibility degrading haze seen in Shenadoah is man made. Within the past 50 years, visibility has decreased by about 50 percent. The NPS staff are continually monitoring the air quality. Still, it is beautiful.

We entered the National Park in the historic town of Front Royal (there are four entry points) and drove 65 miles of the Skyline Drive - a 105 mile scenic road that winds it's way through the Shenandoah National Park.

The drive was truly spectacular and views from the many lookouts, amazing. The roads were built between 1933 and 1944 by the Civilian Conservation Corps - known as the CCC, and are in great condition.

Numerous animals live in the park from the rarely seen bobcat to the more common raccoon. There are about 200 species of birds and between 300 and 600 black bears, however the park's wildlife management policy works to keep them in the wild so they are rarely spotted. We did see some white tailed deer - there are over 6000 of them in Shenandoah and they prefer semi open spaces to deep woods. One of the most impressive sites was the turkey vulture which has a wing span of up to six feet. It's wings are a black or dark grey and the adults have a red head. Other animals include the beaver, grey fox, rabbit, owl and two poisonous snakes - the timber rattlesnake and copperhead.

At Swiftrun Gap just after mile 65 we left the park to drive to our cabin near Shenandoah town. read more ...

Bear facts
Photos

Virginia - Woodstock

2008-05-01T06:47:00.017-04:00

It's 6am and I'm sitting up with B who has succumbed to 'the bug' so thought I'd do a bit more.

Virginia is such a beautiful place. We had four nights in lodges en route. Travel tip ... trawl the internet for prices. It is time consuming but worth it. The places we stayed in were older but more than adequate. Some new places are very expensive.

First stop off was Seven Bends Lodge near the town of Woodstock in the Shenandoah Valley where we spent two nights. See photos

The previous evening, had been pretty surreal. On a lovely warm evening after our airport experience and almost 18 hours on the road, we finally reached our destination. We'd left the highway and suddenly happened upon several little towns, all complete with charming wooden houses and front porches which I'd only ever seen on film.

A quaint little shop

Behind the lodge was the start of the George Washington National Park and a short drive took us up the mountain to the lookout tower at the top from which you could see the Seven Bends river and valley below. The kids have seen some amazing wildlife since arriving. This guy is a Turkey Vulture (thanks Kim). Other encounters, include beavers and snakes. We are still on the lookout for a bear!

USA

2008-04-30T22:13:00.007-04:00

We are now in the state of Ohio. I wasn't able to update en route as planned, but have started catching up over at the Travel Pod blog (the longwinded version). We're also playing catch up with sleep as didn't get much of that prior to leaving (hubby decided at 1.30am the night before that he needed a haircut and after I'd done the front half of his head the clippers died so had to stand for the best bit of an hour trying to blend in a number 2 by hand!) The kids have also been thrown out of sync with the time difference and are waking at crazy hours.

Our time so far has been amazing and the first week has flown. We had a great time in Virginia and the kids have stacks to write about. We've seen so many interesting things and the scenery has been spectacular.

Tomorrow (1st May - the computer is still on GMT) I intend having a down day and will post more here but off here to get some shut eye. AJ has a vomiting bug which is doing the rounds. CJ, EJ and hubby have all had it a day or so apart. The woman folks are staying strong!

It's Friday again!

2008-03-07T15:05:00.006-05:00

The Potato Famine

This week we took our American visitor - Flat Duke (a horse) to visit some gardens near the shores of Lough Neagh. Dotted throughout are wooden sculptures. This one is particularly poignant, depicting victims of the potato famine which claimed almost 1 million lives. During the famine which lasted six long years, another 1 million Irish would immigrate to North America.

These two sites are the most informative that we've found. We used this one at History Place two years ago when we did a short study on the potato famine. This other page at Digital History is concise but thought provoking.

Visit Mary in Canada to read some other entries for her Friday S&T

USA 2008

2008-03-05T08:29:00.015-05:00

Click on this map to enlarge

I've found a new niche in cyberspace which I'll use to post details of our trip in April/May. I'll still be using this blog but if you check in to the travelpod site, you'll be able to see exactly where we are on their interactive map. Link to www.travelpod.com/members/beecharmer

What is it to travel?

2008-03-05T07:22:00.005-05:00

I've always thought it possible to go to places as a tourist and not really 'see'. Travelling is an attitude of mind and this article sums up all I believe to be true. You will never look at your homeland the same way again.

"The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land." C. K. Chesterton

New link

2008-03-03T07:14:00.005-05:00

I've posted a link on the sidebar to one of our all time favorite sites. Although it is titled Africa Overland it archives websites of people driving all around the world! Check out the past, present and future trips. Although the most common drive from the UK seems to be down through Europe, into North Africa and down as far as Cape Town, there are some folks driving to Australia. It also features websites of folks from North America, driving south.

So, sit back, grab a cuppa and dream. I will warn you though, the read is addictive and will give you itchy feet!

The Emerald Isle

2008-02-27T17:17:00.005-05:00

I've just been to my dashboard and found some unmoderated comments. I've no idea why some come through to my inbox, albeit as spam, and others don't come into my gmail at all. Computers!

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting information about our 'adopted' homeland and photographs of places we visit with our new flat visitors that are expected any day now.

We live in the North (dark green) in rural Armagh, surrounded by farmland, some forest parks and peatlands. We love walking in the nature reserve close to our home, which is one big bog. I recently wrote about our latest visit on my Nature blog.

If anyone has any questions, please shoot and I will try to answer them.

Ireland S&T

2008-02-15T13:39:00.009-05:00

I'm not having much joy with things at the minute. The scanner isn't working, the sewing machine has decided to eat fabric and the pc has expired taking with it my new son's baby pictures (and all the photo archives dating back four years.) I would be distraught, but I'm trying to maintain perspective. :)

Once the scanner was pronounced dead thus prohibiting me from blogging about earlier travel exploits, I decided to do write posts on Ireland but now with the pc gone, so are my photographs. I did find a few on flickr that I happened to upload last year.

These snapshots were taken at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra. This is my dd with a flat traveller that she was showing around from Mississippi.

The open air museum is set over 170 acres and the buildings there have been brought here from all over the province and sympathetically rebuilt/restored.

This street is typical of old Belfast.

An Irish cottage was small and consisted of an open room which was both kitchen and living room with a hearth where all the cooking was done. There would have been one bedroom to the side and a loft for the children. In some peasant cottages, the family would all have slept in the open living space. The photo below was taken in the rectory (below it) where soda farls were being cooked on a griddle over the fire. There are flag stones on the floor - this would have been a very grand house.

We also enjoyed browsing the old fashioned sweet shop and watching a weaving demonstration.

Great link:

Today I found J's new travel blog which is titled Cottage on Wheels. As the wind and rain were beating down on the window I was transported many miles away! Great antidote to grey skies and cold temperatures. So nice to grab a cuppa - lemsip in my case for a stinking head cold, and enjoy the read and relaxing sounds as you follow this family on their 2 year adventure in an RV.

I will post some more links on my side bar of some other neat homeschool blogs that I have to finish up for now. Kids are all sick. To view other Show & Tells, visit Mary in Canada.

Sing geography!

2008-02-13T20:26:00.007-05:00

Today my friend Jane and the kids came over and I borrowed this CD from her. It sounds like a fun way to learn your countries and I will be placing an order. Do visit the website and have a listen.

I think it's time for another travel tale. Tomorrow if I've time, I'll scan in some photos of our long drive south in 2003 and post links of a couple of friend's blogs who have recently been sharing their travel stories.

Meanwhile I'd best hit the hay as it's now 01:35. Where does time go?

Thank you

2008-02-12T13:21:00.001-05:00

Thank you Kim for the new award. I'm honoured to receive it :)

While I don't get to visit my friend's blogs every day, I love grabbing a cuppa, sticking the feet up and catching up. I'm having problems accessing hsb at the moment - will try and check in later to say a proper thank you!

Flat Travelling

2008-02-11T06:20:00.002-05:00

I thought this would be of interest to other Mum's wanting a creative and fun way to teach geography. I've posted details here on my home school blog
*please email me for link which I've removed from here*
We have taken a bit of a break but are setting up new exchanges and will post details of our intrepid voyagers here. If you would like more details of groups, please get in touch.

Geography resources

2008-02-06T17:59:00.000-05:00

If you enjoyed taking the European quizzes, pop over to Pam's place for a really neat World quiz. It's highly addictive! You will also find a link list of great sites to learn about our beautiful world.

New Adventure

2008-02-04T13:29:00.001-05:00

Last month we arranged a home exchange with a family in Ohio. It all started off with a proposed visit to the Creation Science Museum in Kentucky. Now I'm in the planning stage. Fun, fun, fun! We hope to fly into Washington D.C. and stop en route in Virginia. At present we're not sure exactly how long to make the trip as we have something else planned for the end of the year which will make it our last trip in a while. (Will share at a later date.)

I will post ideas here and welcome any tips from my readers stateside.

Geography Quiz

2008-02-04T05:35:00.000-05:00

Take the European geography quiz. It's great fun! You may want to double click on the map below to do some revision first. I came unstuck (badly) with some of the new countries which replaced the former Yugoslavia and USSR*. Be sure and leave a comment with your score!

Found another fun quiz here

Once you have mastered the countries, test your knowledge of the capital cities.

*Fifteen new countries became independent with the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Most of these countries declared independence a few months preceding the fall of the Soviet Union in late 1991.

Yugoslavia dissolved in the early 1990s into five independent countries.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, February 29, 1992
Croatia, June 25, 1991
Macedonia (officially The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) declared independence on September 8, 1991 but wasn't recognized by the United Nations until 1993 and the United States and Russia in February of 1994
Serbia and Montenegro, (also known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), April 17, 1992 (see below for separate Serbia and Montenegro entries)
Slovenia, June 25, 1991

Life is tough as a kid!

2008-02-03T19:04:00.000-05:00

Garda

2008-02-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

One of the highlights for our kids when on the road is discovering the local wildlife. I was out with friends in a park last year and one mother was tortured by her kids who announced every few minutes that they were bored! Not ours ... whether it's making things out of twigs or stones or trying to catch a lizard in a net, they are happiest outdoors.

CJ is passionate about animals and bought a net, determined to catch one of these little guys which were all over the campsite. He managed to get this one, probably because it was deformed on one side, only having stumps for legs. They were very fast otherwise. I think he'd have like it for a pet.

Initially I'd planned to do Verona and Venice but the drive took a lot longer and was more costly than anticipated due to the performance of the car. The kids were happiest running around the camping ground and splashing in the pool and TG loves water. I'd definitely recommend Lake Garda as a family destination.

Italy cont ... around the lake

2008-02-03T17:42:00.000-05:00

Lake Garda is very pretty and deceptively big. It took us several hours to drive around it but was worth it for the lovely scenery.

Here we stopped in a little town called Bardolino and visited this museum. Good point - it was free - bad, it had no disabled access. Hubby had to take TG back to the car and wait for us to do the tour. The film was informative and told of the history of olive cultivation which I found interesting from a Biblical perspective. This is the most northern point that olives are grown in Europe as the region has a Mediterranean climate and boast flora that is usually found in southern Europe. The exhibits showed presses from different ages and we tasted some yummy freebies in the shop before parting with some euros.

Just north of Bardolino are the Dolomites of Lake Garda - a stunning, rugged mountain range as see here from the road around the lake.

An Award!

2008-02-02T16:09:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Pam at Mom' s Mutterings and Kim at Naturalpaths for the super blog award. I'm touched and feel that my little blog pales into insignificance when compared to yours!

I highly recommend a visit to both blogs. The information and pictures are inspiring. Pam has been writing recently about Chichen Itza and the Mayan culture. We've really enjoyed the read. I also look forward to more 'Quotes and photos from my world' from Kim.

I would like to pass this award on to:

Melissa in Alaska. We've just discovered her new Nature blog. Have enjoyed reading about her country in her homeschool blog too.

Lilywhite's My Father's World. Fantastic photographs and a wealth of information.

Nature Mama's Nature Notes From Above - another beautiful and inspiring blog.

Keri at SunnyNature. I love reading about their discoveries at her beach in Florida.

AJ, CJ and Beanie - my three kids. You guys are great and probably the reason my home schooling, homesteading and nature blogs are so neglected! Must look out for a second computer!
(More to follow)

By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to at least 10 more people whose blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. Thank you out there for having such great blogs and being such great friends! You deserve this! Feel free to award people who have already been awarded…

Fun stuff - kids

2008-01-29T07:04:00.000-05:00

Italy is famous for its boot-shaped peninsula. The country is surrounded by four seas: the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The Italian flag is has three equal bands of vertical stripes in green, white and red.

The currency used is the Euro. Prior to becoming a member of the European Union and adopting the euro, the lira was used.

The Italian alphabet has 21 letters. To learn how to pronounce them go here. Also have fun with colours and numbers and learn some Italian songs !

Sirmione

2008-01-29T05:28:00.001-05:00

Visit the website

Sirmione is located on the tip of a long peninsula which protrudes from the lake shore between Densenzano del Garda and Peschiera, and was my favourite lake town. It is very pretty with little shops, winding, cobbled streets and vibrant colours. Famous for it's thermal springs, this was a spa destination even in Roman times.

The photo above is of the thirteenth-century castle, the Rocca Scaligera that dominates the town. Al and the kids climbed to the top and got great views of the area.

It is advisable to visit out of season like we did as in summer it tends to be swamped with tourists. The day we visited was busy enough.

More Sirmione photos here

Food

2008-01-28T18:22:00.000-05:00

Italian food is YUM! The deserts in the supermarkets would be my ruination if I lived here. Not usually a big fan of ice cream, this was delicious. One shop boasted all 90 flavours of the stuff. Apparently in Sirmione where we visited, they have competitions to see who can pile the ice cream the highest.

This we found curious and had to buy. Black spaghetti which cooked up a dark grey colour! It was creamier than the stuff we buy back home and therefore felt worm-like to the palate ... almost a slimy consistency despite being cooked a la dente. But the kids thought it a great novelty so we cooked it up two nights in a row. The red things here are pickled peppers. Lidl's here is way more adventurous than back home!

I found an international cooking site which looks fascinating. There are 217 Italian recipes to browse here!

Italy - Peschiera

2008-01-28T13:26:00.000-05:00

Lake Garda is a lovely place to stay and very child friendly. During our visit we stayed in Peschiera del Garda, a walled Roman town at the South eastern side of the Lake. The fortress there played a prominent part in most of the military campaigns conducted in northern Italy after 1400, but especially so during the Napoleonic wars.

The campsite was on the edge of the lake and within walking distance to the town.

Italy photo album here

Switzerland

2008-01-28T11:26:00.000-05:00

These were taken on the drive through Switzerland. If anyone is interested in viewing the Landy build, click here. I will blog about it in more detail at some point.

The Alps and Jura

2008-01-23T16:09:00.000-05:00

We broke the drive south with a couple of nights in Lac de Chalaine. It was a beautiful tranquil spot and the following day the kids and their cousins had a great time out on the lake with canoes and pedalos. Keycamp have their own canoe that the kids could use FOC. It was such a beautiful spot with the tent on the lakefront, we could have spent a week there.

The drive through the Alps and Switzerland was pretty but as the blue beast was going at 50mph tops, we weren't able to make the customary stops. After a long, long drive, we arrived at Lake Garda, northern Italy.

CJ at Mont Blanc

Travel friends

2008-01-22T15:31:00.001-05:00

Last week we received a lovely package from Dorothe and Werner in Germany which was full of wonderful German treats. Along with these items below, was a wooden Christmas star, Kinder chocolate for the children and a beautiful hand embroidered card.

This Schinken Wurst (schinken = ham, wurst = sausage) is made in their butcher's shop which you can see on the label. The shop has been in the family since Jakob Hinderer opened in 1780. I have a book that they gave us which shows photographs of the shop during the last century. It was very interesting to see the changes - living history.

You can see it as it stands today on their website here. This meat is delicious. On our departure from Germany, the family called round to say goodbye and gave us some goodies for the road which included two tins of schinken wurst. Eating this for tea the other night brought back fond memories!

As well as being butchers, Dorothe and Werner also undertake outside catering. We sampled some at a BBQ at their home. See some amazing of their amazing creations here! Warning - viewing will make you hungry lol.

We really enjoyed this Stollen. I found this on the web which will explain ~

'Stollen is a bread-like cake traditionally made in Germany, usually eaten during the Christmas season as Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen. Stollen (originally Striezel) was created in Dresden in around 1450 and the most famous Stollen is still the Dresdner Stollen, sold, among other places, at the local Striezelmarkt Christmas market.
Stollen is a fruitcake made with yeast, water and flour, and usually dried citrus peel (called "Zitronad(e)"), dried fruit, almonds, and spices such as cardamom and cinnamon; the dough is quite low in sugar. The finished cake is sprinkled with icing sugar. The traditional weight is 2 kg, but smaller sizes are now available'.

Photo Albums

2008-01-21T09:19:00.003-05:00

Sets from Europe 2007. It is now march 2008 and I've finally gotten around to finishing this draft.

Germany - Ludwigsburg
Germany - Tripsdrill
Germany - around Rudersberg
Germany - Rothenburg
France - Mont St Michel
France - Versailles
France - around Paris
France - Alps & Jura
Italy

Fun stuff - kids

2008-01-19T13:38:00.000-05:00

Fun facts

The Eiffel Tower is named after architect Gustave Eiffel. In 1889 it was the tallest building in the world.

A lot of Parisians did not like the design and a petition was presented to the city government protesting its construction. It read, "We, the writers, painters, sculptors, architects and lovers of the beauty of Paris, do protest with all our vigour and all our indignation, in the name of French taste and endangered French art and history, against the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower."

In 1885, Gustave Eiffel started a new project - the Statue of Liberty, which was given to the United States as a sign of international friendship.

Consumption of frogs' legs in France totals 3000 to 4000 tons per year which is 60 to 80 million frogs. Although that sounds like a lot, contrary to common belief, many French people do not eat frogs legs.

As frogs are a protected species in France, most frogs legs are imported from Indonesia.

To eat, dip them into flour then fry in a non-stick pan with olive oil and crushed garlic for 5 to 10 minutes.

France is also the biggest snail consumer in the world with 40,000 tons consumed per year. Most of the snails production is artisanal - gathering in the wild. The most popular way to eat them is "à la Bourguignone" with butter, parsley, garlic and spices. Here in the UK people are also eating their garden snails! Visit the BBC cooking page for a snail porridge recipe!

Fun activities

Learn a song!

We have just discovered Mama Lisa's website French children's songs . It looks great! She has songs for kids in all different languages with the English equivalent which you can listen to. We aim to learn one from every country listed (will let you know our progress lol.)

Do a JigZone puzzle!

L'Arc de Triomphe

The French Flag

Paris at night

Stained glass window Notre Dame

Around Paris city center

2008-01-19T10:31:00.000-05:00

Added ~ photo album

First view of the Eiffel Tower

After a sleep we bravely hit the underground (all these stairs) and hopped on and off umpteen trains complete with 7 kids and 2 buggies.
Scotland must have been half empty that day as Paris was full of men in kilts over for a football match that evening.

Hubby and the others did the Eiffle Tower up to the top which took a good couple of hours but was worth it for the views. My vertigo dictated that my feet stay firmly on terra firma. I burned at least a million calories down below, keeping an eye on TG and junior and slept amazingly well in the tent that night, considering the bed was on a slope where the ground was subsiding!

Check out the Official Eiffle Tower website and the kids section!

Notre Dame

We also paid Notre Dame a visit which was interesting for the kids after having constructed a cardboard model of the building. The gothic architecture and sheer scale of the place was interesting. Inside was a bit conflicting as on one hand you have a priest doing mass ... why is that dude singing Mum ... and to the left of the congregation you have a souvenier racket going on, complete with squashed penny machine.

I've always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower in person and it was a fantastic experience for the kids, however after all that city stuff, we were really looking forward to breaking our journey south in forests of the Alps and Jura.

Travel tip ... avoid the school holidays and book early! Three nights in a supertent in Paris cost £40 all up!

Around Paris - Versailles

2008-01-18T15:54:00.000-05:00

After a night in a F1 hotel midway (budget chain in Europe) we made it to Charles de Gaulle airport in time for my husband's sister's flight touching down. Rather than sleep off the jet lag, it was unanimously decided that we make the most of the time and visit the palace of Versailles - pro versaj in french.

The palace is located southwest of Paris and was created by French King Louis XIII. The massive residence which contains the famous Hall of Mirrors was the last palace to be inhabited by a French King. Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette resided here before the uprising during the French Revolution.
Although now a wealthy Parisian suburb,
'Versailles was the unofficial capital city of the kingdom of France from May 1682 (when King Louis XIV moved the court and government permanently to Versailles) until September 1715 (death of Louis XIV and regency, with the regent Philippe d'Orléans returning to Paris), and then again from June 1722 (when Louis XV returned to Versailles permanently) to October 1789 (when Louis XVI was forced to move back to Paris by the people of Paris). During the entire period, Paris remained the official capital city of France, and the official royal palace was the Palace of the Louvre, but in practice government affairs were conducted from Versailles, and Versailles was regarded as the real capital city'.

Taken from the web

More can be read here (official website) or here for palace information (Wilkopaedia).

Mont St Michel - France

2008-01-13T16:46:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to see the Mont de St Michel in Normandy. Even though I've viewed it in many books, like the rock of Gibralter, nothing really prepares you for the moment you happen upon it. It really is a spectacular sight - one large cone of rock jutting out of the sea topped by a great Gothic church. Most of the present building dates from the Gothic period being built between the 13th and 16th centuries. As this was a time of great conflict, much of the site is fortified. It was well worth the long detour to see.

As we didn't have much time to spare, we walked up through The Grande Rue which is the main thoroughfare and took a look at the little shops and buildings on the way up the hill. We didn't visit the great church and abbey at the top as it wasn't buggy-wheelchair-big pregnant lady friendly, but did see the parish church which dates back to the 11th century before letting the kids fly a kite and let off steam on the beach. The sand was grey and of mudlike consistency and EJ had a great time in the water covering himself in the stuff. It was a total strip job before we took off again and headed toward Paris ...

Vive la France

2008-01-12T16:38:00.001-05:00

In January of last year when we found out that we'd be meeting relatives in France that September, we set about learning as much as we could with great gusto! We went looking for some French recipes and AJ and I flew round Tesco with a list. The objective was to create a three course authentic French meal which we found at Cecile's place. While the boys were out swinging from the trees and banging caps, B and I slaved over a hot stove. B made the starter by herself, prepared the potatoes for the main and helped make the batter for the crepes.

The Menu

Tomatoe Mozzarella - entree which is very popular in France but Italian in origin.
Volaille et Roquefort - Chicken cooked in a Roquefort/sour cream sauce (very easy and extremely yummy) with sauteed potatoes.
Crepes

Voila!

This was such good fun and educational too! We plan to work our way around the world in the kitchen. Recently I was in Lidl's (cheap European grocery store) with CJ and they had some Greek food in. He bought some tinned Octopus! Watch this space lol.

We also did some fun crafts before and after the visit.

Cork and toothpick Eiffel Tower and cardboard Notre Dame courtesy of the Opitec company.

Now we just need to plod on with the language!

Thoughts

2008-01-12T15:47:00.000-05:00

When we set of to Germany, we had no idea what to expect having never been before. I don't believe in stereotypes and like to experience places and people for myself. What a wonderful experience! The countryside is beautiful and like the buildings, full of contrasts. From the flat, flat fields of Saarland to the lush, rolling Swabian forests - and the wonderful old timber buildings, to the modern police station as seen below - there is always something to interest and surprise.

The people we met here were warm, welcoming, genuinely interested and great with the kids. This is AJ and CJ with some grapes from an elderly neighbour in R'berg. We also had another lady present us with plums and two children came one evening with a courgette from their garden. They were leaving the following day to holiday in Austria and wanted us to have it which was lovely. One day God willing, we will go back. I urge anyone looking for a great holiday to travel to Baden-Württemberg. It has been our best vacation to date!

Another thing that impressed me was that here a 'family ticket' means just that. None of the 2 adults 2 kids and extra cash for any additional children thing going on here. If they are all your own children, they are included. Also, they don't over charge. We paid 9 Euros all up for admission to the Beuren Open Air Museum and didn't have to pass through a shop on the way out. Prices are far more affordable than here in the UK.

I have omitted to write about a lot of the family stuff, just highlighting some places we visited that may be of interest. Likewise with photographs. If anyone would like access to family albums, please email. Now, on to France!

Ludwigsburg Castle/Stuttgart

2008-01-12T15:32:00.000-05:00

Prior to leaving the area of Baden-Württemburg, we paid a visit to Ludwigsburg Castle. Often referred to as the Versailles of Southern Germany, the baroque palaces and extensive grounds were stunning. As time and funds were limited, we paid to go through the gardens which date back to 1704 when Duke Eberhard Ludwig of Württemburg commissioned their construction.

Werner also took Al and the kids to a vineyard overlooking Stuttgart and to the Mercedes Benz classical museum.

More photos here

Tripsdrill

2008-01-12T15:06:00.001-05:00

If you are in Germany and can only visit one theme park, make it Tripsdrill! Inspired by laundry (yes honest!) the park is set in the countryside among beautiful vineyards ~ the photo left was taken from within the park itself

The kids all had a great time and unlike other places we've been to, there were lots of rides for TG who had a whale of a time! The buildings all resembled old German houses from this area and there was a vineyard section with equipment dating back to 1870.

The Clampets are in town

The kids enjoyed coming down the water shutes in laundry baskets!

As part of the entry ticket, we were able to gain access to Wild Paradise - a wildlife park which was a short walk from the theme park. This turned out to be yet another mountain top experience. (Previous walks had been uphill!) Hubby and TG had to abandon half way up but this pregnant woman soldiered on. The bears were non existant and the wolves looked like they'd been drugged but we saw hundreds of deer and mountain goats which were roaming freely through the forest so it was well worth the effort.

Bambi is alive and well.

Photo Album

Sausages!

2008-01-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

This is AJ learning how to make some German sausages! The local butcher (like the baker and the chemist) was a friend of the family whose house we were staying. He and his wife were fantastic with the kids and invited them to come by one morning to see sausages being made out the back of their shop. They also invited us one evening for a BBQ at their home. Our kids enjoyed playing with their boys although there was more English spoken than German. Put us to shame. Such a lovely family.

The variety of meats was amazing. Much different to home.

More photos of around Rudersberg here

Swabian Woods

2008-01-06T19:18:00.000-05:00

Today I received a comment over at my other blog (thanks Pam) which has inspired me to do a bit more here.

So, back to Germany! The area in which we were staying was a national park and we enjoyed exploring the surrounding forests. I realise that my photobox albums keep timing out so will endeavour to rehouse my photos on flickr or photobucket in the near future. For now click here to see our nature rambles. I will try to keep myself logged in.

Meuschenmühle

We found this fantastic old wooden mill when tramping the Müllenwanderweg trail (after following local signposts and vandering round in circles which was getting to be a bit of a habit) The first known mill here dates back to 1271.

Things we learned!

German slugs are BIG and bright orange in colour. Große but interesting!

CJ still hasn't lost his touch as top butterfly catcher. He is an human magnet for anything that flies, hops or has fur.

Germany - Shorndorf and Beuren

2007-12-21T14:09:00.000-05:00

This photograph was taken during our visit to Schorndorf, a medieval market town east of Stuttgart in Southern Germany.

Gottlieb Daimler inventor of the petrol engine, was born in this town in 1834. All over the region we were amused to see streets in every town and village bearing his name. It could prove confusing.
We happened to arrive on market day in the old town which has beautifully preserved timbered houses.

The plaque above this house states "In diesem hause wohnte 1689-1741 die Burgermeisterin Barbara Kunklein" which I think translates as "The mayoress Barbara Kunklein lived in this house from 1689-1741."

From Schorndorf we drove to the small rural town of Beuren to visit Germany's first open air museum where buildings from the region dating as far back as the 13th C have been relocated. We had a fascinating glimpse into how people from Neckar Valley and Swabian Alb would have lived and the types of crops and animals that they would have farmed. Buildings included a bake house, weaver's cottage and fanastic farmhouses and barns. I could have easily moved right on in and left somewhat envious of the simple way of life and sense of community that these folks would have had.

Germany - Rothenburg

2007-12-18T13:40:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year we travelled through Europe. In August we spent some time in Germany. I will post some photos here of some of the more interesting places we visited.

The little medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber with it's beautifully preserved walls and buildings was my all time favourite. The full title would have been "Rothenburg oberhalb der Tauber" which translates as "Rothenburg over the Tauber", as the town is located on top of a mount overlooking the river Tauber.

We'd encountered a great deal of skeptism from folks in Swabia when we mentioned our intention to visit. Rothenburg has a reputation for tourists ... 2.1 million a year to be precise, but on the day we visited there were no unmanageable crowds. As well as being Germany's most visited tourist attraction it is also a working town of 12,000 people who have managed to preserve their history and heritage while living in the 21st century.

Click here to visit our Rothenburg Album. You will see the half timbered houses, cobbled streets, beautiful hand crafted wooden toys and spot a German delicacy which looked really yummy but tasted more like stale scones!

A taste of my homeland

2007-12-16T15:54:00.000-05:00

Last year we took two trips to Scotland as a family although my husband was 'across the water' four times in the short space of five months.

Scotland is one of the most (if not the most) beautiful countries that I've visited to date. Okay, I might appear slightly biased and do admit that Milford Sound in New Zealand did come pretty close but I wouldn't tell my husband that.

Here are some photos from our trips.

These were taken in Spring when my husband, his friend and our eldest son took a trip to the Isle of Skye. Pic 1 Snow on the mountains just north of Loch Lomond. The second photo is of Eileen Donan Castle which is situated on the road to the Isles. Visit the official castle website

here

Pic 3 is of Lochaber Dam. A lovely picnic stop. The one above is of the Cairngorm Mountain Railway which is the highest funicular railway in the UK. Finished in 2001 it travels up the side of Cairngorm Mountain to a restaurant just 400ft below the summit from which we could see Loch Morlich and our campsite (photos below)

Here are the kids on the shore of Loch Morlich one evening, a short stroll through the pine forest from our camp. Pic 6 Sunset over the loch.

Glenmore Forest Park and Loch Morlich are situated in the middle of the Cairngorm National Park. If you are thinking of camping/caravaning in the UK I'd highly recommend taking a Forest Holiday. These campsites are run by the forestry commission and are spacious, have excellent washing and showering facilities and are very reasonably priced. Our first experience was in the Forest of Dean in 2003 en route to Cornwall, France, Spain and Morocco. Another travel tale ...

These pictures were taken during a drive the length of Loch Ness. The first is taken in Fort Augustus (the prettiest town in Scotland by my reckoning) which is situated to the south west of Loch Ness. Here the Caledonian canal ends and the loch begins and tourists can board a boat in search of Nessie. As we tend to travel on a shoe string we passed.

Lastly some photos from Skye. The first is Portree, taken in May and the other was taken in September. I don't think it really matters what month you visit - the sky will look the same. Rain clouds!

Travel tip ~ If you are a UK resident and Tesco shopper, club card points can be converted into Days Out coupons which can be used at many locations throughout the country. We saved over £200 on tourist attractions during our September trip to Scotland and then on down through England, where our daughter was due for a review at the center for brain injured children. Highly recommended by our kids are the Cairngorm Funicular Railway, The Discovery (Scott's ship which is moored in Dundee) and the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Dorset where they were able to board the first Concorde. All take the coupons. Makes supporting a big corporation slightly more palatable!

A little about ...

2007-12-15T16:14:00.000-05:00

This blog

Having recently wound down 'the family blog' I am in the process of creating several in an attempt to compartmentalise the various aspects of our lives which I like to keep record of. Perhaps one day my house will also fall victim to my organisation skills. One can only live in hope.

The address

I should probably explain at the outset that I am not the kiwi in the family but am married to a first generation one. The name in singular was taken so I've pluralised it but guess that's allowed as two of our kids were birthed in the Land of the Long White Cloud. I am a Scot and our four other blessings were born in Ireland. Their accents are decidedly confusing!

The aim

Over the next while I hope to find time to organise the many thousands of photos on my computer and upload ones that may be of interest to other travel enthusiasts into online albums. I am quite nosey by nature and love viewing other people's travel photos and hearing all about their adventures. As well as creating a personal record, I hope that this is of benefit and enjoyment to others.