Home from Lanzarote.

Ice creams are always eaten, this time we were wrapped up in hoodies and jumpers.

We were asked to drink bottle water that could be purchased from the shop that was reached from the back gate. Before we left P had candy floss hair, a week of uber minerals in the pipeline, P's hair is smooth as silk. Don't know if I am happy or sad.

She is made up because she endured the kids club a couple of times to get a certificate, T is too cool for school and doesn't want to do the after dinner disco anymore.
G and the girls also like miniature golf.

What we all did whilst we were away was slept. This is not usual behaviour for the females of the family.

Before too long we were back on the plane.

My memory is not great, I am not sure this was a relaxing break more a period of windy limbo, always great to be together and I love my family with every heart beat.

It's a strange island, it could be so cool, like Reykjavik.
For instance there is what seems to be a nunnery in the middle of the island which is basically a couple of sheds and some goats, the Mexican trains for her triathlons there, and there are roads that wind between mountains and some of the beaches really are black. Then you go to a market and its full of toot sold by some expat hippy lady who seems to be surviving on the odd Euro and white wine.
Unless you are living the life where you are driving a jeep that has a gun in the glove comaprtment I am not sure its the place for me.

Pleased to be home safe.
CM

Lazarote By the Pool and On The Beach.

To say it was windy is an understatement. It was annoying and there was no getting away from it, the first couple of days G seemed to take is personally and would occasionally turn to look as said wind and give it the most offended look. Ha!

And don't judge me, I slathered the girls with sunblock and they still burned past an acceptable level.

I am glad I packed cashmere cardi at the last minute, mainly for the plane but actually had it everyday by the pool.

Despite P now being able to swim she prefers extra protection. Sensible.

The pool was icy cold and this holiday more time was spent out of it rather than in. There was a kids section and toward the end of the week they spent a lot of time there.

P took a couple tumbles and I love how the life guards just patched her up without worrying about informing me, do I do iodine?
I could hear the howling from where I was sitting so if I missed I could certainly hear it.

The beach was family friendly not over crowded, Playa Blanca, maybe it's busier later in the season.
Really really cold.

Lovely white shells to collect and warm warm sand to get in your hair.
Could do with some of that today, very grey out there.

CM

Lazarote Landscapes

The hotel is clean and comfortable.
I forget about the PA system by the pool and the music they play but the lady twirling in this outfit makes me smile.

We also get a balcony but apart from drying costumes and P's inflatable collection we don't bother with it.

I find these tiles and agree with another lady that they are probably a bugger to clean.

Out and about it is breath taking and a hire car would have been great just to go see some of the stuff in the distance. Some of these photos are from the coach some of them are from on foot, luckily my girls like to walk and I love a bit of scrub land.

Now you can go book a ride on a camel, we went past this attraction and I am glad it didn't happen because it all looked ridiculous. But see this photo above, what looks like green tents just below the horizon, camels out for a stroll, we were on a coach, had we not been we would have accidentally bumped into them.

There isn't a lot to do in Lanzo so we did a bit wandering about. Girls like to be together doing stuff.

 Aah, there looks a happy couple.

CM

Lanzarote Underwater.

Our lovely friends from the IOM recommend that we take a trip on the LanzaroteYellow Submarine.
It's fun they say, I believe them, she wouldn't lie to me.

Getting tickets for this is one of those stories where I suggest we book them straight away and G protests at my inability to chill.

He is right I am unable to chill until we know what we are doing luckily I go and see the rep and there are only 4 tickets for the last day that we can go and my chilled face ensures that they are purchased quickly.

My stomach fears coach tours and rightly so, this one weaves itself to the marina.

I make it but a very tall Danish man only makes it to the nearest manhole cover when we arrive. Later on the in boat I offer his wife one of my in flight sick bags, she shows me several that she has stored in her bag too.

There is a stifling health and safety photo selling talk and some rest time before we head under, but just enough time for me to start fearing for my life which of course makes me text the Nurse and debrief her of the situation. I tell myself that we are just heading out a little way and then coming back in and as long as we don't run a ground all will be fine.

This is it. 

Somewhere in a previous life I have been on board the nuclear kind which let me tell you is a bit more hardcore in design as well as functionality.

I do get a bit excited by the retro fit out.

I try to look excited for the kids sake.

 

Nothing phases G.

There is a little TV screen showing the live camera feed from outside, you can watch the vessel sink.

Not as many fish as you think, I think the same two fish went round the submarine a couple of times.

AND!

The lower you go the less colour.

 

Then we get out as far as they go and there is a flurry, turns out the crew on the safety boat drop down with fish food and everyone gets their phones out!

 

I must mention that I see the man before I saw any fish which was sort of added to the anxiety.

We head back and I am happy.
Then silence, no engine and we hit the sand and I am not happy and breath quickly, just as I predicted, again phones are out to take pictures of the murky colourless wreck of last years fishing vessels and everyone is encouraged to get out of their seats and have a wonder around, WTF?
I've texted the nurse that we are all going to die.

Luckily it isn't too long before someone plugs the engine in again, we are on our way and everyone is singing along to Yellow Submarine which is piped through the speaker system.

I am happy to be back on concrete and it turns out back in the UK the nurse is laughing at her phone.

CM

NOT Happy With Thompson and Arriving in Lanzarote.

So we head off to Lanzarote the day after the funeral, an amazing funeral, the tears.
All of Gs friends were there, still makes me wobble when I see them standing there for him in my memory.

Turns out cancelling a holiday with Thompson and getting a decent refund is just not possible what ever the circumstances, had it not been the brilliance of the staff in our local branch sorting the best way round the problem with their hands tied, I am not sure what would have happened, 9 months on it would have been fine not to go, so much has happened..... I am not sure G will spend any money with the firm EVER again.

On a separate flight from the one booked we head South.

It has been a while I can't even remember how to upload a photo.....

There is no stress we head to the airport, as per usual we have no time to get lunch and a beer which sends G slightly loopy, maybe we don't account for the time spent parking the car!

We arrive late at night by taxi and there are full plates of salad under cling film waiting for us, we are all fit to drop.

I love all inclusive because I get re enthusiastic for cooking and don't have to clear it away.
Over the course of the week we all eat some of the following delights?

Biggest thrill is baked celery with walnuts and raisins and a red sauce that I pour over everything except breakfast.
I eat everything and loose 3lbs by the time we get home.

On a roll!

CM

Lanzarote

Lets get this blog up and running again.............
So Christmas has just happened and it is Sunday and I plan to update 9 months of this blog before New Year.
I  might just have a thrombosis in the leg by the time I am done.
Lots of Blogs that I read in 2015 seemed to drop off a bit, maybe it just took up too much time when so much other stuff happened.
Here goes......