Just about to leave for the airport - Jack has found my work bag….🫣

Can’t believe our entire life is in these two bags (well and 4 backpacks) for the next 3 months

3 months of shoes….

Hello Heathrow - possibly the coolest hotel room we’ve ever booked!

No trip is complete without a cheeky bit of emergency wheelchair maintenance 🚨

This was the ideal solution and a great start to the trip.

Sally was amazing with the trolley

Jack enjoyed a ride through the shops

Cheeky breakfast before the flight

Insta kids 🤣

A wee bit of stress at the gate when they had to ‘de-board’ us as my hybrid handcycle hadn’t been labelled correctly but thankfully the plane didn’t leave without us!

See you in San Francisco!

Lovely sun and not too chilly

We went straight to pick up the campervan….all went well until we arrived at the RV park we intended to stay at at 1800 - just after the office closed with no option to stay 😬

. Cue a little stress as both our phones stopped working but our tariff said we could roam - thank goodness for free wifi at Burger King & Starbucks!

We slightly broke the kids by driving an hour down the road but managed to find a truck stop where we could spend the night - well until 3 am when Jack started bouncing off the walls!

We also encountered the slight problem of the fact the ‘bedding pack’ only contained one duvet……🥶 Fortunately the van has a heater so Jon & I just wore most of our clothes - we figured it looked a bit more salubrious than the business class cabin of the airplane so we shouldn’t complain.

Jack made us all laugh by doing laps of the car park. Sally did some cartwheels but I didn’t catch them.

Jon & Kids are now in Walmart hoping to solve the bedding situation & we’re only 3hrs from Yosemite so happy days.

We stopped off to rent some snow chains just in case as we’d read that the conditions can be changeable. The shop owner was super kind and gave the kids some balloons although they did just end up hitting each other with them!

Jack got a little bored by the end

But the opportunity to take a few cheeky selfies kept him distracted..

Yosemite is every bit as stunning as billed. There aren’t enough superlatives.

The view from our campsite pitch.

Jack was fascinated by the bear lockers - we managed to avoid Sally locking him in one!

The hunt for the biggest pine cone was won by Sally.

I was glad Jack’s wellies made the cut in packing terms as he found the biggest puddle in Yosemite and decided he was a speedboat…

The campervan was a perfect size - the kids love the crow’s nest

I was also quite thankful for the bedding disaster as it had ensured the kids has winter sleeping bags with were absolutely needed.

All the stress over my handbike was made absolutely worth it when we decided to walk off some of the jet lag with an evening stroll. The air temperature was quite cold so even though it was flat my hands would have frozen on my pushrims.

We walked to Curry Village which Jon was a bit disappointed to discover did not sell any actual curry.

A beer & a couple of hot chocolates made this better.

On the way back the rain turned to sleet then snow which wasn’t quite the weather we’d expected (winter coats/hats/gloves didn’t make the packing cut).

To Sally’s delight the snow started to lay on the ground.

We were nice and warm in the van thankfully.

(Yes mum that’s his airport book)

We left early as we’d hoped to get to Mariposa Grove to see the big trees.

The road to the Grove was over 5000 feet - the road conditions became quite tricky so we decided to abandon the trip as we had no winter clothing if we got stuck.

Dawn in Yosemite was spectacular.

We chose a nice spot for some pancakes & crispy bacon.

The view was mesmerising

A trip to the visitor centre provided some good geography education.

We learnt about how the valley and its mountains had been formed.

Jack went on a bear hunt but was a bit disappointed not to find one.

Jon bought some firewood from the shop & we went back to the campsite for some flame grilled hot dogs.

Sally made a snow creature- can you tell what kind (hint: Minecraft)

I was planning on a nice quiet cycle by myself but Jack didn’t want me to get lonely.

The views were insane.

I loved being able to get around independently without it being a huge endurance session.

Jack gave me a nice running commentary of the views on offer.

Flame grilled sausages are amazing

But we lost the sun at 1400 so retreated inside for a nap

We introduced Jack to UNO….

This is his losing face…..

This is his winning face.

The clear night meant some pretty epic stargazing. I’ve never seen so many shooting stars.

Sally & Jack enjoying some solitaire.

We then got on the road to the Lodi wine region.

No words just pictures

We definitely hit the jackpot when we found a winery with a kids play area!

We could have spent hours and a lot of dollars here.

The night was spent in a truck stop - wow the Americans sure know how to travel in style. The average size ‘RV’ was a coach so we felt very small in comparison. People were super friendly so whilst I can’t say it was the poshest place we stayed it was still nice. The heater for the swimming pool had broken but this didn’t stop our little water baby from taking a dip!

Jack & I did some laundry- he managed to get 6 pictures of the washing machine before I noticed what he was doing - no wonder my phone is full!

We also visited an oil mill but they also served more wine so we finished the day in style.

We were given the most amazing sunset for our last night in the the USA campervan

Magnetic dart board thankfully

Just chillin

Fire pit S’mores

Refreshing dip in a friend’s pool.

Thankfully a little warmer than the one at the RV park.

Sally negotiated a pocket money rate, drafted a contract and ensured our solicitor friend Sam witnessed it #HomeSkool

Games room in the hotel - perfect for the kiddiwinks.

Incredible views from 42nd floor

Down is definitely better than up!

Loving that the trams are so accessible in San Francisco

Tram is from 1952 - same vintage as my parents.

Jack was very excited about the boat trip.

Jack wanted to know who had turned the bubbles on and if he could do it next time.

We were so lucky we saw a pod of dolphins in the bay but I didn’t catch it on camera.

Jack wanted to take over the photography & thought this flower was particularly beautiful.

The hills were a little steep but I had some extra man power

Inside of Alcatraz - the cells were so small.

The audio tour was good although Jack did ask at one point why people kept hurting each other & why didn’t they just stop.

The island is now home to lots of birds - you’ll be glad there is no smellivsion in this picture.

Golden Gate Bridge

Oreo milkshake….

Lots of sugar/energy needed for climbing hills - some of the streets were dramatically steep.

Climb was worth it for the play park.

Watching the Uber arrive

We went to Sam’s for pancakes- what a view.

Perfect end to a fab day.

We found a hire tandem where Jack went on the front - it was absolutely perfect for him.

I think you can tell how much he enjoyed it.

No words needed for these 🤣

Views were spectacular. The weather was supposed to be rainy…..

Powering up the hills

The back dots are a pod of dolphins 🐬

Not sure it could have got any more sunny.

To top off the wildlife spotting a sea lion 🦭 popped up to say hi as we came back into the bay.

The weather was pretty ☔️ so we decided a bus tour was the only way forward.

Top deck for Sally & Jon

Jack & I remained in the wheelchair pen downstairs.

As you can see Jack was enthralled…

Fortunately it didn’t rain all day. We waited for the sun to come out for a lunch stop.

We were reminded of our South American travel with tapas & cerviche.

There was a beautiful park which we had to ourselves.

I think the park is filled with water in the summer but the kids found a good use for the rain ponchos from the bus.

A bit more bus touring with a trip over the Golden Gate Bridge which required a little less effort.

Back to the hotel to wait for the taxi to the airport.

Thank goodness for the games room - what happened next…

#LittleBros…

See you in Fiji 🇫🇯

A bit of a nervous wait to see if my wheelchair had made it onto the plane but it came eventually! Sally was a absolute trouper - so helpful in all the usual chaos of getting off a plane. You never quite know what to expect even when being well travelled.

Traveling with the hybrid is quite a mission. We only have 2 suitcases for clothes yet it feels like we’re moving house with each flight. My hybrid goes in a kite surfing bag which fortunately has wheels.

Jack likes to travel in style 🤣🤴🏻

We were delighted to find the BeachHouse is just as we left it in 2005 - just a little bigger. The accessibility is unexpectedly fab - it’s something that never really registers when you’re able bodied. Even in bungalows you’d be amazed where stairs can be incorporated!

Kids couldn’t wait to get in the water - they just struggled to chose between the beach or the pool!

Beach came first

There was 30sec of hand holding before the bickering recommenced 🤣

The grass is so it’s amazing to roll across. Having the beach so close is perfect as I don’t need to get sandy to be able to watch the kiddiwinks.

Jacks getting better at UNO

The kids enjoyed watching some bags being weaved. They then went collecting flowers that had dropped to decorate them.

A cheeky bit of homeschooling after breakfast although I can’t say Jack was the most focussed

The pool is a perfect temperature and depth for me to stand \240

Jack’s swimming is really coming on.

Sallys enjoying the same swing we did in 2005 😍

We’re enjoying the same beer… 🍻

Not sure who Jack gets the showboating from…..

It’s so nice not to be cold anymore!

It’s really nice to just spend time together with no big agenda or place to be.

Sally had a horse riding trip along the shore

Jack & Jon crab spotting

Sally found some beautiful coral washed up on the beach.

The bay here is beautiful and the reef ensures really calm waters

30 seconds of harmony before they started fighting again 😝

Enjoying some refreshing drinks

Sunsets have been pretty special.

Jack’s rapidly becoming UNO master

#HomeSkool

Unfortunately Sally came down with a tummy bug but she’s now fully recovered. Jack & Jon took it for the team enjoying the pool with Granny & Grandad.

Think he may have taken Sally’s portion of cake…

Finally the sun came out again after a few days of rain 🤩

Sally teaching Jack about number bonds using some shells we found.

Kayaking!! Yeahy

Loopwheels & frontwheel making the sand a little more accessible.

We paddled out to the swimming platform for a snorkel - we saw a bright blue starfish and some beautiful fish & coral 🪸

Recreating the picture from 2005

It’s so beautiful here - after a few days of rain this sunset was worth the wait.

During: (Sally had to sit for 2 hrs)

Mummy and daddy did some waiting….while Jack did yet more tarmacing.

After:

It’s quite hard to look elegant when your being photobombed by your little bro!

Let’s see how long they last!!

Earlier Jon had taken the two kids on a waterfall trip. To quote Sally it was ‘one of the best trips of her life’ although she’s said this a few times this month 🤣

They got to swim around the waterfall

Jack may have had a little helping hand/shoulder to get there.

It’s called a horsey in Fiji.

The cool thing was that we found out the trip organiser played in the game of Rugby we went to see in 2005! This is him in the red and black top on the wing.

Sunsets - did we mention they were nice?

After quite a few days of rain the sunset did not disappoint.

Chocolate milkshake time - rare moment of harmony.

Little miss snorkel

Granny and Grandad came to visit our hotel for some sundowner cocktails.

On our last day Sally and I went to an island to do some snorkelling.

We saw some fish but Sally preferred just to jump off the boat.

The island was so beautiful.

Sally thought her day could not get any better when she discovered Fanta pineapple

One of the Fijian guides was catching fish by hand with \240a harpoon.

When we got to the island Sally collected an impressive range of hermit crabs. They kept escaping even from my hat.

On the day back Sally stood at the front of the boat even though it went very fast.

We were so lucky to see a beautiful pod of dolphins.

They were so close to the boat - such a special end to the day.

Jack and daddy had fun at Granny & Gandad’s hotel

Jack made sure the pilot went in the right direction.

Seems like a good van for some adventures.

Fortunately there were some lovely hot springs that kept us entertained.

Playing whack a mole with the fountains much to the amusement of the local OAPs..

Sally practiced some diving in the deep pool.

Our campsite had a trampoline with quite a view!

View from our pitch - we went to the local free campsite but the view wasn’t as good so we came back to the paid one 😜

Lovely lupins

There was a flood here in 1999 which was the height of most of the houses in the village.

Nice to dust off the cobwebs from my hybrid.

Sally found a small tree

Kingston is beautifully quiet compared to Queenstown.

We had stopped for lunch Cromwell - Sally showing the locals how to lunch.

Jack loved this slide.

So hard to get my head around the fact it’s the end of spring here - not just +12hrs!

Got on the bike again for a nice lakeside pedal.

We found the most amazing campsite after a few days of pretty soulless campervan car parks 😍.

Warrenz in the wild

Unfortunately the memory of this idyllic campsite was a little tarnished by the fact Jack came down with a vomiting bug. No details needed other than to say thankfully Milford Lodge the next campsite had the best washing machines we’ve encountered.

We saw some epic waterfalls & went out for a posh-ish dinner (Sally is sulking under the table).

I got up at 6am planning to kayak on the sound but sadly the trip was cancelled due to high winds. I was relieved to have been able to take the hybrid and not woken the family up for this!

Jon took the kids on the wettest walk of their lives which even Jacks wellies couldn’t stay dry in.

We took the kids on the cruise. Sally was loving the stormy weather and made the most of the borrowed rain jacket.

I tried unsuccessfully to recreate the cute picture we have of Sally from 2017… Jack wasn’t letting us stay outside near the waterfall.

Weather was a little better in 2017:

Sally’s still a big waterfall fan!

It was a beautiful campsite but the kids had had enough of being soaked so we bailed the second night and drove towards some blue sky.

The luge ride was so cool. I was fully expecting not to be able to join the kids but I was wrong. To get to the top of the luge there was a chair lift - as you can see Jack wasn’t too sure on the first ride.

He did cheer up for the next two

The luge was so much fun. Jack and Daddy aced it.

Jack & Daddy were too quick for us to photograph

Unfortunately the access to the chair lift hadn’t been as well thought out as the accessibility of the luge. I think the gradient was the most extreme I’ve ever encountered.

But we got there in the end.

The view on the way down was beautiful

We then went to a bird sanctuary. Sally was delighted to see an actual kiwi bird.

Jon seems to have sprouted wings

We also met a Tuatara

Jack wasn’t so sure

We hired some bikes and shock horror Sally actually enjoyed the bike ride (most usual rides involve a large proportion of complaints from little Miss Warren).

Everywhere you looked the scenery was amazing.

Lunch stop

Couldn’t resist the puddles.

One or two cheeky hills but Sally kept smiling.

In the afternoon we went to a Puzzling World

The kids tried to lose Daddy in the maze

For this nights stop we decided to try out an ‘Okay 2 Stay’ location. Essentially you pay a subscription fee that gives you a list of local producers (Cheese, Wine, Farm & Crafts etc) that will let you stay on their property for free as long as you buy something from their shop.

We weren’t entirely sure about taking the kiddiwinks to a winery but decided to risk it for a buscuit!! OMG we weren’t disappointed. Lovely Atkin’s Folly is own and run by a Geordie Couple who were wonderful welcoming hosts. We need not have \240worried about the kids - on their winery they had a menagerie of animals including some newly hatched chicks 🐥 and two trampolines.

Jack feeding the sheep some apples

The views were amazing 360 degrees

Wine tasted extra nice surrounded by the vines that had produced it.

It was certainly the best campsite to date.

Sally chatted non stop 😝but great to share my love of paddling with her.

After our paddle we went for a nice lunch overlooking the lake.

Jack watched a lot of lobster 🦞 TV.

Jack seems to have found my phone 🤭 The kids aren’t appreciating the scenery as much as Jon & I although we have managed to cut down a litttle on the ‘are we nearly there yets’

Thankfully the campsite had a good play park.

Our campsite has some pretty cool go karts. My afternoon was spent hearing Jack tooting his ‘fire horn’ and even persuaded Jon to take him out in the rain.

Topped off the afternoon with a nice soak in the hot tub.

Hoping for some good weather tomorrow for a trip up the glacier

This has been our standard view a lot of the time. Rain is quite noisy at night.

Sallys definitely missing her friends and playing with somone who is not half her age but fortunately her school teacher has been amazing and we have regular communication.

We’ve managed to lose 2 credit cards, a kindle and somehow ‘Bourgass’ (Jack’s imaginary friend) set a new passcode on Sallys kindle locking us all out of it 😝.

We also nearly ran out of tea bags…

#AdventuringIsn’tAlwaysEasy

The cloud/rain didn’t clear so we decided to just make tracks. We had an important appointment in Greymouth that we couldn’t be late for.

The weather was much better away from the mountains 🏔️ which made the kids very happy.

There is a nice accessible tree top walk that we visited. The path was not as steep as those in Queenstown but we were glad of a lift.

Being up amongst the trees was lovely. The bell birds were particularly lovely although we never saw one.

The only bit that I could get to was the tower but after climbing all the steps, Sally reported it was quite scary so I hadn’t missed much.

This was the cantilever that wobbled quite a bit 😵‍💫.

We abandoned the idea of wild camping as thought the kids could use a play park after quite a long day.

This place was perfect

Gormet BBQ

So glad we changed our plans.

Sally loved the signs.

Feeding the petting animals- the pigs were very hungry.

There were also some newly hatched chicks and turtles 🐢

And two different zip lines

Sally sent Jack down first to see if he arrived in one piece \240😂 (the first trip may have ended in tears..😬 but it was all smiles in the end).

And some rather yummy cherries 🍒

The Abel Tasman is every bit as beautiful as the picures show.

Even if the weather wasn’t the best.

Didn’t stop the kiddiwinks from having some quality beach time.

We went on a water taxi tour where I got to sit with this cool dude.

Sally and Granny sat on the open air top deck for the whole trip. It was a little breezy!

I sat at the back - as you can see Jack was fascinated by the views 😴

We saw some seals 🦭

We found yet another zip line.

It’s nice how my mobility aids often moonlight as toys - this is his motor broomstick

6 in a van seems to we working out nicely. Even the weather seems to be cheering up.

We went on a family kayak trip - Jack had the best seat on the trip.

The trip back was a bit choppy but kids seemed to enjoy it.

Jack was a little jaded from several face on waves that he wasn’t sure if he enjoyed 😨.

After a second stop at the bush camp.

Savvie - Sauvignon Blanc is my absolute favourite so this was heaven!

George and Lena gave us a second night off 🥂

Not sure we should be let out that often 😂

The sun finally came out in force! We had an absolutely beautiful day sampling Marlborough’s finest. This vineyard made us smile as Whitehaven is very close to where my parents live.

A cool sign for lunch.

We had a delicious lunch washed down with a little more vino 🤪

That evening we made use of another Okay2Stay and had a wonderful night on Nutt Ranch.

The kids loved helping sort the good hazelnuts from the bad ones.

We got shown how they crack and process the nuts.

Jack was very excited to see apples growing - he took this picture.

The evening was stunning.

Homeschooling washed down with a little YouTube.

Jack was chief pumper for this expedition but he took Granny & Grandad for a sneaky coffee while we paddled.

After the kayak Sally & I cycled while Jon ran back to the campsite (nearly 10km)

I had a cheeky tumble as the path was a bit rough for my chair but no harm done.

Sally loved the bike ride and the scenery was breathtaking.

Sally found a huge pine cone

For our last night in South Island Jon picked a stunner of a campsite.

Sally completed a ‘triathlon’ by paddling,cycling then swimming!

Some mega cute ducklings.

Jack is very helpful carrying a rubbish sack almost as big as him!

Skidding to a stop

Thank you South Island. We’re very sad to be leaving you but on our way with so many happy memories.

An early start and a super wiggly drive with more epic views

It was a bit windy for Jack outside

We had a brief stop in Wellington so George & Lena could pick up their hire car (they’re off to New Plymouth tomorrow).

Jack’s swimming has really come on - he doesn’t really need the arm bands anymore.

Sun finally came out for a park trip.

Last pancake brekkie before they left. Jon has absolutely nailed the campervan pancake recipe!

We had so much fun together.

Sally even managed a smile 🤪

We set off on the ‘Old Coach Road’ - supposedly a nice family track with just a few cobbles - I should have been more suspicious when they said it wasn’t suitable for a tag-along for Jack..

It was great to get a lift up to the top

Cheeky obstacle - Jack was the only one to nail it 😂.

There were some amazing views and the first section was fine.

The main issue is that when you’re going uphill the front wheel with power just spins out. Also going downhill you just slide rather than slow down.

The fun really started half way through when there was no going back 😬

I needed to use pretty much every working muscle & so did Jon to get us through.

Old loose cobbles with 3 wheels was nuts - Jon had to rescue me a few times on this section.

Narrow paths with steep drops gave me a few extra grey hairs, scratches & bruises. Sally was a pretty cute winglady & Jack didn’t seem to mind being left amongst the bushes whilst Jon conducted yet another rescue 🚨

We enjoyed the tunnel but it was pretty dark without lights.

The viaduct was so high

Sally & I didn’t want to hang around too long.

Jack sounding the alarm for yet another rescue. Fortunately the track was quite quiet.

We survived although I’m going to leave the grade 3 tracks until my skill level is a little higher in future.

Jon had found us a nice campsite with a view of two volcanoes.

Seeing the kids really excited was beyond cute. It brought back happy memories of my childhood rafting down the Gorge Du Tarn. As the water was only 7 degrees we had a little more equipment!

Cheezy grins all round

No need to watch the entire film but the first rapid & Jacks face is super cute! (It’s a 360 degree video)

I think the rafting was my absolute favourite of the activities we have done. I wasn’t expecting Jack to enjoy it so much. It was so cool to be able to all enjoy it as a family.

After our paddle we headed on up to Lake Taupo. Jon and I had been to a cool place called Craters of the Moon - a geothermal park where the ground bubbles and steams.

Jack wasn’t so impressed with the sulphur smell. Thankfully the whole walk was a board walk so I could just about make it round with the kids.

Happy memories down the lane!

There was an adults area but the kids thought this was more fun. Thankfully the water was warm as the air temperature was quite cold 🥶

Sally made full use of the slides pass

We had a lovely meal together then went our separate ways for the final time 😢 and we headed off the Rotorua.

The weather was a bit grim but we had a great morning at Te Puia. It was nice to learn a bit more about Māori culture along side the geothermal wonders.

The geyser looked spectacular despite the mizzle.

The bubbling mud was our favourite.

Two trainee tuatara train drivers.

I’ve creams curtesy of granny & grandad.

I can report the ducks were very well fed & Jon even had to rescue a teeny duckling from an aggressive blue bird. The kids were a bit traumatised by this but thankfully after a bit of a rest it swam off with its family.

Sally & I went on an evening glow worm paddle. We thought this would be fairly straightforward as we booked a campsite of the same name as the meet point. Unfortunately things are never that straight forward and there were 3 massive hills between us and the meet point - after my mountain biking experience I knew I wouldn’t get up them never mind down!

We had a chat with one of the rangers and found a lakeside pitch that had a path which was fairly flat along the lake - fine but maybe not in the pitch black! We decided to give it a go after a recce.

It was so worth it!

Sally absolutely loved the paddling and as there were only 2 other people on the tour she had to do a fair bit.

The lake was so calm it was beautifu. It made a change from all the sea kayaking and rafting we’d been doing. l

I don’t have the glow worm pictures but they were spectacular. Sally absolutely loved it. I’m also pleased to report that we made it back to our campervan without falling into the lake, crashing into a tree or a ditch 🥳. It was VERY dark however- thank goodness for smartphones! \240

We didn’t find sun straight away but we did find some nice cycle paths in Hamilton.

Which had some nice cafes

And some small 😳milkshakes

We dabbled in the Okay2Stay directory and found another cracking place to stay. Reminded us a bit of Cathope’s Manor Farm!

As old as me 😜. They had a spectacular play park and cafe.

That night I finally persuaded Sally that her hair was looking very scruffy and it was time for the braids to go.

It’s probably good there was no-one within earshot 😂

One of the best brekkie’s of the trip!

New Zealand’s babychino- a fluffy! Complete with a chocolate covered marshmallow.

We decided to abandon all plans to go to Coromandel and headed for the West coast.

Building dams got a bit much.

We had an absolutely delicious tea made by the jolliest chef ever (some call him Bourgass).

We’ve learnt the prime pitches are by the play parks.

This is the ‘Sally & Jack Show’

I got to have lunch with this cool dude.

and dudette

Jon took the kids to the beach for a little evening sandcastling.

It was unbelievably cool even if it was pouring with rain. I got a lift down with the local surf rescue so didn’t even have to worry about how I’d get to the water.

Jack was very jealous I got to wear a helmet!

Amazing Sally got the hang of it straight away

Jon & Jack came down to the water to cheer but left maybe a bit wetter than Sally & I! Didn’t seem to dampen his spirits though.

They then went back & prepared warm drinks for us when we’d finished.

😢

Jack liked the airport viewing screen - especially as it had the runway at the back.

The bell hop at the hotel had some interesting moves 😂

View from room is not too shabby either!

Nice fireworks display to calm the kids.

Jon & Sally are doing the bridge climb tmw.

Rooftop pool - shame it’s not very accessible. Jon & I are enjoying a trip down memory lane as we were here 20 years ago on our honeymoon in the same hotel.

Jacks pretty cute around music 🎵 even if it’s background style mu🥴sick!

Jon & I aren’t quite sure where he gets all his moves from!

It feel so weird not putting the kids up in the crows nest & just having them next to us.

I was a bit worried incase Sally didn’t enjoy it but she came back buzzing. For once she loved both the scenery and the commentary.

Jack and I enjoyed a flatter sightseeing tour on wheels/foot - well mostly wheels - Jack loves to hitch a ride. I usually keen to work off the hotel brekkie!

It’s been so nice to spend so much time with the kiddiwinks. To just notice them interacting with their environment. Yes there have been some stormy times & Jack absolutely loves to wind up poor Sally to breaking point (Mixi - does that remind you of anyone?!). At home especially following covid and finishing training life had just become so hectic. I say yes to far too many things and that takes me away both physically & mentally. I can’t make up for that but this trip has definitely made me realise what I need to do more of.

Waving to the dots on the bridge hoping Sissy & Daddy will see us.

‘Mummy there’s a picture just like this at nursery’ It was so cute to explain to him that this is the actual opera house and the one he saw at nursery is a picture of this one.

While we were out and about an Australian Naval ship came home - complete with fly past and white uniforms on deck. It was nice to think this crew would get to spend Christmas with their families. Jack gave them a good wave.

After all that exertion Jack enjoyed a little treat - can you guess the flavour?!

The bridge summiteers returned.

We enjoyed a little cruise around the harbour but the conditions were very choppy.

Sitting at the back of the boat it was quite exciting to be thrown around. (Not)

This evening Sally had a very exciting call with her class. She’s been keeping her own blog so it was really nice to see her friends on the last day of term.

We did spend quite a bit of time setting up 🤣

And made full use of all available equipment 😂

A bit of a stark contrast to this:

We enjoyed some pancakes at pancakes on the rocks

And a bimble around the Christmas markets. Jon & I can’t get our heads around tinsel & Christmas trees in warm weather!

Jack was fascinated by the McDonald’s order delivery system.

Thankfully we fed the kids as we hadn’t realised that Virgin Australia is akin to Ryanair with no screens or food service so we were totally unprepared. We also hadn’t realised that you needed about 3 different apps to check in which made the whole experience pretty stressful but we got there in the end. I don’t want to travel on an airline that allows 23kg luggage per person but doesn’t allow 4 people to check in two bags of 25kg. With the hybrid any more bags would send us over the edge. Thank goodness I brought the triple wheel bag…

It’s nuts to think that the most of our flight was just over Australia! Possibly one of the most challenging flights due to our lack of preparation & lively children without the usual headphones to down. Anyway job done & Bali is definitely worth it.

It’s so nice when the online pictures actually look like the place you’re staying.

Too cute not to share!

Our villa is outstanding. We’re just on the edge of Ubud but it’s so peaceful. It’s hopeless in terms of accessibility but with a pool on our doorstep it’s not a showstopper.

Sophisticated Sally at brekkie

The kids loved the butterfly decorations on the drinks - there were days we had to order 2!!

Sally was absolutely delighted to discover that pineapple jam is served with the toast.

It’s just stunning here

My beautiful flower 🌸

The last outing of the armbands!!

The tree above our pool dropped beautiful flowers in at regular intervals.

Not entirely sure this was the intended use for the pool decoration but it was a lot of fun judging by the giggles.

And he’s off! Our little duckling.

This rapidly progressed….

Daddy & Jack went on a field trip to get some washing done.

Sally and I attempted some fractions but decided that daddy was better placed for this so we did a few English lessons.

Boyz on tour

Teaching Jack his numbers by playing dominoes.

So beautiful I couldn’t stop taking pictures.

Dawn

Daddy demonstrating his sophisticated side.

The outdoor bath was very cool - despite the pool Jack asked if he could have two a day 🤣

Not sure our family should be allowed an infinity pool….

The kids loved the towel decorations.

Apparently Jack did most of the driving.

Bamboo e-bike!!

It was such a beautiful way to see the rice fields and experience some Indonesian culture.

We saw a temple where they were having a ceremony.

The paths were just wide enough for my wheelchair.

The rice field views were stunning.

Sally found a very cool swing. We were delighted it came complete with harness.

Didn’t look too far from this view

Or this one…

But this one 😳

This was our favourite place to eat. Such an incredible vibe & delicious food!

Our first trip there involved some unusual entertainment- jumping out of the window onto the street 😮

The water temple with the lotus flowers 🪷 was beautiful. Jon found a great cafe that I could watch from rather than have to navigate 1000s steps. Steps are everywhere in Bali 😟 so I’m incredibly grateful to be able to get up some with crutches.

We also went to the monkey forest but had a helpful tip from a friend that a nearby cafe was a good spot to watch from.

The monkeys were so cheeky - we saw them ripping apart motorbike helmets, bike seats and windscreen wipers 😳

The rabbit 🐰 dance was our favourite.

Thank you Oldfield’s - still bringing joy and screen free meal times 😂

I absolutely can’t take enough pictures of this pool.

There was also a very cool outside shower

Jack was getting braver and braver in the pool.

Jack’s first ever non-Cheryl cut

He wasn’t so sure about the buzzing!

Time for a little festive celebration. This hotel stay was a little Christmas present to ourselves but this place was extra special as it’s where my sister in law Fitri used to work.

Don’t look too closely at Jack’s hand signal 😂 - was supposed to be the surfing one from Raglan 😂

There was so much for the kids here.

Jack was pretending he was using this trampoline to fix the roof 😂

Sally even managed a flip but mummy was a bit slow with the camera.

There was also a trapeze which Sally also managed to hang upside down from.

Encouraging independence by ordering their own drinks at the bar.

Jack was really chuffed to get 2 wrist bands in his favourite colour. The band also worked as the rokm key which the kids loved.

The weather curse followed us yet again - a tad monsoony.

It was hard but Jon and I toughed it out!

Jack loved having his photo taken 🤩

It was hilarious- Jack called this character Baby Yoda 😂

The kids struggled to get their heads around a hot Christmas but got there in the end.

On Christmas Eve Sally helped Jack to write to Santa - he made us giggle for asking for cash 💰 and a toy train 🚂

Even Jon - aka Scrooge got into the spirit.

I volunteered to replace a raindeer 🦌