Hotel Transylvania

I am very tired, so a quick post about the Bank Holiday weekend.

Saturday took us to the Brightlingsea Food Festival where we enjoyed the view from the beach hut of a friend, and I went for walks with my son and daughter, and threw the hard ball we have with my son.

On Sunday, when I went into work to catch up, my son was taken to Maldon to play cricket where he met Alastair Cook.  My daughter got to spend time with a friend, and her dogs, before rain stopped play.  We travelled to Lakeside to watch Hotel Transylvania, a film that was fun most of the time, though predictable. The other two films are better, but it is not the main characters that make this film for me.

And today, I got to finally mow the wilderness that is our lawn and later went for a walk with my daughter.

I have just watched Arsenal win, but I think that the focus on attack means that we are going to let in even more goals than we have before!

And last of all, chess.  Two tournaments have been completed, the 40th Chess.com Quick Knockouts 1201-1400 with a respectable placing of 262nd, and the 35th Chess.com Tournament (1401-1600) where I finished 418th!

At least there is no table

When I found out who Arsenal were to face in our first three games, I had a feeling of dread.  I was aware that we may have ended up with no points after them.  I was hoping to have one point at home by now and I am also hoping to get three in the derby game against West Ham next weekend, but we could be at the bottom of the table when the first official one is published.

I have not watched any of the highlights, or in my case low lights, of the game against the Team that rhymes with City, but it was painful to watch the game against Chelski.  It was great how the team came back from two goals down to get the score back to two all, but our defence for the first two goals was terrible.  I was appalled by the way Sokratis left Shkodran Mustafi alone for the second goal and it was our inability to defend which destroyed any potential of the team to build on our impressive home performance last season.  All Arsenal fans were hoping that a new manager and new blood would correct the issues with defence that have plagued our team in the last decade.  But there still is time.  

I am not looking forwards to tomorrow when the manager at work will want to talk about football.  A lot... 

Ocean's 8 as well as Love and Other Drugs

My wife and I had some time away from the kids as we travelled into London to have a meal together.

We went shopping at first, nothing too fancy, but my wife bought something simple and flattering to wear.  We had a sit down in the M&S cafe on the outside terrace and then made our way to the restaurant. Ember Yard is near where my wife and I went to one of our first dates, a location I almost remember as it was the first time that I had eaten meat in a year (it was chicken kiev, though the actual restaurant has since closed down).  My wife had arranged for us to go there and I have to admit that I was not too keen on this at first, as having had Tapas in the past, I was not a big fan.  I was very wrong.

The service was a bit frosty at first, though it was attentive and could not be faulted.  But it became warmer.  The food however was outstanding.  It had a good selection of beer and my wife loved the cocktails, but the food was amazing.  While I have had some excellent meals recently, this was the best of the best for at least a few months, with nothing as good as this eaten since we ate at Grain, and possibly before then.

After this, we watched a film, Ocean's 8.  My wife liked it more than I did.  I did like it, but it lacked the character development of Ocean's Eleven.  Also, as enjoyable as it was, there were a few loose ends, such as why the insurance company settled for part of the haul, and the morality of planting the decoy. I am glad I watched it, and it is hard for any film to follow Ocean's Eleven.

Anyway, now everyone else is in bed and I am watching Love and Other Drugs while they sleep.  While it is a very amusing film, it is also very sad.  But any film dealing with Parkinsonism is going to be so.  Rude and certainly not suitable for children (they observed a few things in it and my son is now asking awkward questions).  Ocean's 8 is an okay film, Love and Other Drugs is better.  It was a bit disjointed at times, but I was watching a television version of the film.  And as enjoyable as the film was, it reminded me just how lucky we are in the UK to have the NHS (despite the faults that it has due to the way the Conservatives have not funded or staffed it properly) and it amazes me that the Americans continue to have the healthcare system that the have, and fight for it.  We do not see bus loads of pensioners travelling across borders for medicines.  Well, we may do after Brexit, but that is a different matter!

And now for some pictures from our meal...

A trip across the channel

We woke up early today for a trip abroad again.  This time, it was a quick dash across the channel.  Many years ago, when we had returned from one holiday, instead of heading home, we surprised the children with a trip to France.  Then, they were very excited to drive onto a train.  Since then, we have done this on a few more occasions, and I actually think that they are bored with this!  But, we decided to just go for the day, and having booked this at the last moment, we had to travel early in the morning to get on the train.  We made good time and in fact, it was good that we travelled so early as when we arrived at the Eurotunnel terminal, it was quite empty and was filling up when we left.  When in France, we did shop for some wine, but also cheese and yoghurt.  It was an expensive day out, but it did expose the children to French, which my daughter will be learning more about in the upcoming academic year.  What was interesting was the queues to get back into the UK, and I cannot but think that if a hard Brexit occurs, that this will result in longer queues on both sides, and a lot of economic damage to Calais as well.  My daughter is keen to travel by ferry next time, and while it may take longer, this is something I think we should consider as it will be cheaper if we do this again in the future.

PokémonGO in Madeira

This is one of my sad posts on PokémonGO.  When in Madeira, my son and I played is, but before we went, my limited searches found little information on this game there.  For those who do travel to Madeira, enjoy the climate, sights, wine, food and history. But for some, like my son and me, we can enjoy catching Pokémon! And for us, we were able to catch two Pokémon that we could not find otherwise. Tropius and Illumise.  In addition to this, Seviper can be found here, which was present in the UK a while ago.  I had tried to see if any regional specific Pokémon could be found there, but had no luck. Hopefully this will be useful to any who do play there.

We found that the best hunting was in the centre of Funchal, around the fort and the gardens.  There are lots of Pokéstops and a few Pokégyms there as well as plenty of things to look at in the real world.

Last of all, I just thought that I would add that I still have a Pokémon in Sri Lanka!

Day eleven in Madeira

Our last day in Madeira has been a relaxing one.  I went for my last early morning walk on the island, hopefully for now though and got back to the rest of the family at breakfast.  Afterwards we did some packing and afterwards split up.  While they enjoyed the pool, I stayed in the room overlooking the sea which was a lot more blue than it has been in the last few days and relaxed.

We have enjoyed our stay on the island but did not do a few of the things that we could have, notably the trip at Monte, or travelling on the cable cars.  I would love to return, and considering the many advantages of the hotel we stayed at, I would love to return to the same place.  But, I am also open to staying elsewhere on the island.

Day ten in Madeira

Today was spent out on the open sea.  Well, the most memorable part of it was.  After my morning walk, I got back to a trip into Funchal.  We had breakfast in a little cafe where we tried some Portugese pastries and then the kids went shopping with my wife while I had a little walk in the city.  The kids loved the birds in the shop they were in but both were looking forwards to our planned trip to see dolphins.

The outing was also marketed as an opportunity to see whales, but a German lady with us told us that this is not the best time to see them.  In fact we almost did not see any dolphins, but we got lucky.  However, the kids loved the experience of being on a boat as we traveled out into the Atlantic.  My wife and I have seen dolphins in the wild, but this was when we had travelled to Bali, in a time before children.  Those dolphins were a lot more acrobatic than these and jumped out of the water, not that we have any evidence, other than a picture of a tail!  But if you look closely, you can make out the dolphins here.

Anyway I type this as we listen to Karaoke in the hotel lobby on our last night on the island.  I would be happy to return and am glad we came back to show the kids the island.

Day nine in Madeira

Today we spent a relaxing day at the pool, mostly, though we did leave the hotel for lunch. While my wife ate a healthy option, the children and I had a McDonalds which was a bit different to what we are used to.  The kids were very adept at managing the touch screen menu, putting me to shame.

But for dinner we had a much more healthy option visiting a nearby village and having dinner at a fish restaurant.  I think that, I, the one who dislikes fish the most in the family, enjoyed it most though!

Day eight in Madeira

Another interesting day today and one where my daughter proved me wrong and wore her skirt, for part of it. We had an interesting trip to Santo António Da Serra which included looking at spectacular scenery and when there, we visited the market there.  The big difference between the last trip my wife and I took to the island compared to now, is the way land is used.  Before, vines were planted everywhere that could reasonably grow them.  Now there appears to be more diversity in what is grown though it appears that bananas are the main product that is grown now.

After that we went to Canical where we had intended to see the whale museum, but my wife had managed to book a cancellation slot for Afternoon Tea at Reids.  This meant that we drove to Ponta de São Lourenço where my daughter and I went for a walk.  The contrast between the lush vegetation of the rest of the island and the desolate windswept landscape there is amazing and while my daughter and I did not get to walk as far as we would have liked, it was an experience to remember.

Tea was enjoyed by all, though my son had mango juice as he is not a fan of tea.  The last time we had afternoon tea was at Greyfriars in Colchester where the sandwiches were a bit stale.  There was nothing to fault here though and the view from the terrace almost matched the food.  It was here that my daughter wore her skirt, changing into it before we went, due to the policy they had of no shorts, and she changed out of it later.

On getting back to the hotel we watched two films, Jumanji and Tomb Raider.  Both were a lot better than I expected.  Jumanji was as enjoyable as the original, though I feel, not as scary, the theme being based more on action than on suspense.  The kids have watched it before but enjoyed watching it again and they were kind enough to not spoil it for my wife and me.  I had to admit that I did not expect the film to be as good as it was, considering the quality of the original.  Tomb Raider was also a film my wife and I liked, though it was a bit too scary for my son, and my daughter got distracted by her phone and preferred social media to the film.  It was more predictable than Jumanji, but was enjoyable and if I had watched either at the cinema, I would have been happy to do so.

Day seven in Madeira

Once again I went for a morning walk today, and on getting back, once again my daughter did not wear her skirt!  Today was PokémonGO community day, which meant that for a few hours, there were more of a certain Pokémon to catch.  My son and I had missed the last few and he was very keen to make this one.  On getting back we went downstairs for breakfast only to catch the hotel shuttle bus into Funchal instead.  My wife had looked up a bakery to go to have breakfast and we ate there.  Later, my son and I split from my daughter and wife (my daughter no longer players PokémonGO) and explored the town seeking Pokémon?  The buildings are beautiful in the city centre as well as the municipal gardens, but considering the age of my son, this was wasted on him.  We talked to other players from abroad as well.  My son was amazing, the picture being one taken from a hill looking into the bay.  He climbed faster than I did and was full of energy.  Frequent rests probably helped him along with catching several rare shiny Pokémon which I did not (my only chance resulted in my iPhone crashing).  The day repeats tomorrow, but he is not keen on doing it again, and I am certain that the reason is because he does not want me to catch what he caught.

After getting back, it was an afternoon by the pool where we swam and had fun, though a ball I had bought a few days ago at the suggestion of my son was all at lost when it bounced over the wall onto the beach.  Fortunately, some people found it and returned it after a bit of a walk to get it.

Anyway, we are relaxing listening to live music in the hotel reception while my son plays chess with a French girl he met.

Day six in Madeira

Time is passing by quickly. The photo is from my early morning walk and on getting back to the hotel, I met the family for breakfast and then we went for a drive.  This was after my daughter tried on her skirt, and despite it suiting her, as predicted yesterday, she decided not to wear it.  Our first destination was Calheta where we stopped for a drink and planned our next destination.  While there, I went into a tourist office and bought an overpriced guide book to the island.  We had a look and then drove to Porto Moniz.

On the way there, the kids, who had noticed before how more people smoke in Madeira, got to see one man smoking at the petrol station where be filled up our Yaris.  We also got to drive through the clouds as we crossed the central mountain ridge, and while this was exciting at first, it continued, and continued, and continued.  When we arrived at the town, the kids were both frozen, but we warmed up in an excellent restaurant before driving through the mountain ridge back to the hotel.

Day five in Madeira

Another day and another morning walk, though this one was not as early as the others.  We woke together, as opposed to me sneaking out for a walk in the early morning and had breakfast before heading for the pool.  My wife had been thinking about hiring a car, and while she arranged this, I took the kids to the pool where they had loads of fun and made new friends.

I had dreaded the walk as it was hotter than the time I would normally walk, but the breeze from the sea kept me cool.  On getting back, after lunch, we all spent time by the pool and then the car came.  Now we have the freedom to explore the island at our own pace...

We took the Yaris out for a spin and went to a nearby mall where my daughter bought a skirt I am convinced she will not wear.  Now we are listening to people sing in the hotel Karaoke night.  They are so much better than I could ever be.

Day four in Madeira

Again another walk today and after breakfast, we decided to visit Funchal again. While my son and I explored the city a bit and played PokémonGO, my wife and daughter visited some shops.  He did really well, but did get tired at the end.

My wife found and excellent place to eat with the local bread from Madeira where we had lunch and on our return we watched Dr Strange while I rested and elevated my ankle which appears to be getting worse, not better!  Going down to dinner, we encountered some parrots and my son and I had our pictures taken with them.  One appeared to be fascinated by how glasses. My daughter did not do the same, but in the past she has had an owl on her so we did not press her on this matter.

We are not sure what we want to do tomorrow, but we all look forwards to it.

Day three in Madeira

My foot has been improving in some ways, but is annoying my wife. Mind you my walks in the morning are annoying her as well.  The picture is from my morning walk where I came across two cats looking at some pigeons. By the time I took the picture, one had moved away from them, but it still amused me.  Today though was spent mostly at the pool.  We rested while the kids enjoyed playing in the pool with some friends that they have made.

The only downside is that my ankle hurts more when it is not supported, that and my restless legs have annoyed my wife as I had to rest rather than take part in karaoke and the three glasses of wine has set my legs off!

Day two in Madeira

Our second day started with me waking my wife and daughter up with the alarm I set for work, and forgot to switch off.  While they were able to get back to sleep I didn't so I went for an early morning walk.  My ankle is improving but is still swollen and it managed to hold out for the walk.  I had intended to walk yesterday, but it was not good enough.

After getting back we tried out breakfast and then set out to explore Funchal.  The bus dropped us of near the Marina.  Our plan was not to travel a lot, but mostly to get a few things from any supermarket that we could find.  And it was there that we had lunch and I had my blue drink.  After returning with water for the next few days along with other supplies my daughter spent some time with her Mum while I took my son to the swimming pool.  Anyway, we are now relaxing, and while we tried to watch Vacation, I think we realised that none of us really like the film.  As a film, it is watchable at times, often very predictable and I have to say, that despite there being a few enjoyable parts, if I had to pay to watch it, I would be very angry. Watching it for free on an evening where we are to relax, watching a family film, then it is okay.  If you have not watched it, I would spend the time watching something you would actually enjoy properly.

Day one in Madeira

We are in sunny Madeira!

We woke up early in the morning to get to Gatwick, and all fell asleep in the taxi. Which meant that the others missed the middle lane driving that occurred for some of the trip.  But the taxi driver was nice and polite, so as much as middle lane driving annoys me, I did not say anything.  Booking in to the flight was a different experience as we had checked in online and only had to use the automated bad drop.  The kids seemed to enjoy the flight and we all belived my wife when she said that the seat window had been allocated to my son (I assume she told the truth), and the landing was quite smooth.  In fact, some of the passengers applauded once we had landed.  I will be showing the children videos of planes landing here sometime during the holiday. 

Anyway, arriving on a Sunday, there was a wait to check in to the hotel but it was worth it.  The view is amazing and after my wife fell asleep on the bungalow we went down to swim in the pool.  That was after lunch though where the kids has asked to move tables, and regretted it as we ended eating with some Geckos which freaked them out.  I think they laughed when one jumped onto me.  But back to the pool, kids made some friends there and got me to blow up Gary, an inflatable dolphin that belongs to friends who had been in Madeira last week.  Anyway, we are fed and was relaxing while watching a film.

And so to bed

Officially this is the first day of our holiday.  Sadly I sprained my ankle on Thursday at work which has hindered our ability to get ready.  In addition to that, my amazing wife, has been preparing for an examination that was on Thursday.  This meant that yesterday was the day to get things ready, that and today.  

I was not much help as I needed to get some things sorted out at work, so she was in effect a single mother, ensuring that the children did not squabble too much while she fed them and got everything ready.  Ever since an incident with my passport, pre 911, she has not trusted me to do things.  Which is understandable.

So today we went to see my mother, who has not seen her grandchildren in ages, and now are at her parents while we prepare for our holiday abroad.  The kids are in bed, trying to sleep through the heatwave that we have been subject to.