Our last 2018 trip to London

So this weekend, my wife and I decided that we needed to relax.  And I know it sounds bizarre, but we travelled down to London.  Our aim was to have breakfast in Maltby Street and when we got there, we were surprised to find it empty. It was just missing tumbleweed really. Almost every place was closed, but one place at one end was open and we had a great breakfast there.  We went into central London where I bought a CD for my wife, a book for my daughter and my wife got a few things. My son wanted a particular book which we were not able to get, and naturally he was a bit disappointed.

Do not get me wrong, it was great to have my mother up for Christmas and seeing my Brother, his partner and his two new dogs on Boxing Day was brilliant, but it was tiring.  I cannot just ‘blame’ my family as having friends round in the evening on Christmas Day probably helped to exhaust us.  So as enjoyable the two days were, when I returned to work on Thursday, I honestly felt that I would have got more rest had I been in work for those two days!


After that it was a trip to Canary Wharf where we had drinks and lunch before heading home.  While I felt guilty at not seeing my mother, we were tired by then and doing so would have been too much.

It was brilliant to spend time with each other, though tomorrow I am going to have to catch up on work.

Who let the dogs out

Well that was an exhausting Christmas!

On Christmas Eve, I was working late so missed out on drinks at a friends, as well as the trip to the church.  I came home to my wife wrapping the presents for the children (I am of the view that they should only have one each) and allegedly passed out while she was doing so.

My son woke us up on Christmas Day, excited about opening his presents and we went through the Christmas stockings.  After breakfast I drove down to collect my mother from London with my daughter while my son and wife prepared Christmas Lunch.  When I got back, I helped a bit, but did nothing compared to the effort my wife put into the meal.  Some friends came round for drinks later and we chatted till late while the kids played Monopoly.

In morning we prepared for the visit of my youngest brother and his lovely partner.  They came with two dogs, Cassie and Pixie whom they had adopted recently and my kids loved taking them on a walk.  The kids have wanted a dog, and this trip proved that they were not ready, the evidence being when my son refused to pick up the dog poo left behind by Pixie, who he was walking.

After lunch and another much shorter walk, my brother left, taking my mother with him.  A game of Trivial Pursuit followed and then bed.

But I felt so tired this morning and I am certain that I would have got more rest if I had been working!

RIP Ron

Our hamster died today. He has been around for some time since we adopted him and was getting old.  We knew it was going to be soon, but it was still a shock to the kids when it happened.  The plan is to bury him tomorrow and we may consider getting a replacement after Christmas.

If voting changed anything they'd abolish it

The midterm elections were last month in the USA.  While some consider this to have been a Blue Wave, considering the gains that the GOP made, while they had losses, if anything it was a ripple for the democrats. Trump was right when he said that the GOP did well considering the losses that Obama faced in his mid terms in both 2010 and 2014, something that those who expected more need to note for any reelection campaign (jail not withstanding) by Trump in 2020, or anyone from the GOP.

Those results though may have been different if people had not been prevented from voting.  It is interesting to see how electoral boundaries have been drawn up, and in places where the Democratic Party have won elections to become governor, how the powers of the governor of that state have been taken away.

The election rules were not bent as much what happens in Russia, but a nation that takes pride in democracy really should provide a better example to the rest of the world.

The school carol service

It was my sons last carol concert at his junior school yesterday. I have missed watching many of his performances due to my work, but my wife and I had planned to go to it together. Sadly she was not feeling too well, and had to miss it.  It did mean that my son and I got to walk there together.  The service had a dual theme, being based on the First World War and the Christmas truce on 1914 as well as the story of Jesus.  There were traditional carols as well as some that I do not recollect hearing before.  It was a special night but sad as well because my wife did not get to watch it.

Wrath

Anger has been an issue this week.  But not all the time.  Some of it is related to fatigue, some appears to be related to device time, but some has no relation to anything that we can determine.

I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)

Last week my son had his learning conference.  His teacher thinks that he is smart, but sadly he is not doing the work that he is capable of.  But the fact that his teacher recognises that is a good thing, he has in the past had a teacher who has given up on him.  So my wife and I have resolved to help him get into the habit of completing his work in time, and that means timed homework.  We know how capable he is, it is just about making him show others that he can reach his potential rather than coasting and resting on his laurels.

A huge obstacle that we face is his motivation.  It is easier to fail than to try.  And my son is very good at finding reasons to fail.  

And today was an example. Leaving school he and I were catching Pokémon and I caught a shiny Evee.  When in Madeira we had caught quite a few, well, he did.  I did not, but despite that he wants mine as it will complete his collection.  Needless to say, I want it, but it is a game and he is my son.  When he said that he would do anything I wanted, I gave him a task, to pass the questions we give him, scoring 100% every day for a week.  Needless to say, he felt it was too strict and since being at home with my wife, we have settled on him getting 85% for 14 consecutive days.  And I do think that he can do it.

PokémonGO & Cyndaquil community day

Today was busy we had a drive in the morning to get and deliver presents, breakfast and then a drive back.  My daughter had an appointment to meet some friends and my son and I were keen to play PokémonGO. It was another community day and while my son and I missed a lot of it, we did get to meet up with Matthew, a friend of his and his mother.  The kids had fun catching Pokémon and then had some fun in the playground.

After Matthew left with his mother to go to a birthday party, my son and I left Castle Park and went into town for lunch.  I had promised that after this, if he was good that we would go to Kaspa's and as he had been brilliant, he got to have the rest of his lunch there.

We met up with my daughter in the library where my son got a book out and walked back.  She had enjoyed the afternoon with two friends, though she will not tell me why she was kicked out of McDonalds.  The kids did snap a bit at each other, but overall have been great today. Anyway, we are watching Harry Potter & the order of the Phoenix and are soon to go to bed. 

No Vote No Voice

It is the Mid Term elections tomorrow.  One thing that I have been surprised by is the bias of several US shows.  I have always known that Faux News is biased, but to see examples of this on US shows was surprising.  I have seen shows in the UK that look at political matters such as The Last Leg, and while they speak out against issues like disability cuts, they never told viewers who to vote for. 

I admire Taylor Swift for speaking out about what she cares for coming up to the elections, I do think that she should have encouraged all voters to register and to vote.

What is sad to see here in the UK is how many people have not realised the power of voting. And a really sad issue relates to how many people have given up their voice in the Labour Party, leaving due to the direction that it has taken, now having no vote to change things.

To vote is to have a voice. That voice should be treasured. 

Pokémon GO and Gengar Day

I spent a great day out with my son today.  It was a day for PokémonGO and today he got to walk about Colchester catching them.  And he walked and walked and walked.  I would like to think that he had fun.  While my wife hates the game, it has had the effect of making him want to walk, something where I remember literally dragging him about.  When in town on the last day he got to spend time in the park and made friends.  Today we met up with one of mine instead.

He did get to meet them on Wednesday when we went out for Hallowe'en where he came back with loads of sweets (which I have not been stealing). My daughter went to visit a friend but did not come back, or worse, answer her phone which meant that I spent Wednesday night wandering about Great Horkesley trying to find out where she was (tracking her iPhone location on mine).

And today the kids have been getting on well.  I have not seen them do this in a while and it is really nice.

Anyway we are to to go to a wedding reception where my wife is trying to get me to learn how to Salsa!

Beer and Netflix

It has been an interesting time once again since my last post on about the family.  A few weekends ago, we got home to find that the lights were out.  A fuse had gone and through a process of deduction we worked out that the circuit to the boiler had gone.  In the morning on Sunday we had a look and quickly realised that this was nothing that we could deal with as it looked like our boiler had been leaking.  However, the boiler was not able to be repaired until the following day.  Or so we hoped.  We had to ask a friend to wait for the boiler engineer from our insurance cover, and when he did come (late) he did not have the parts that were needed and more importantly, did not inspire confidence.  However my wife was amazing and called the operator of the boiler and arranged for someone who knew about what was going on to come.  Friends helped out with the loan of some heaters in the meantime.  And this was just as well, because when the boiler was sorted out, it turned out that there was a problem with the gas supply to the house which meant another night in the cold.  As stressed as my wife was, she was amazing in sorting things out while I was at work.

My son was lucky over this time as he was away on a school trip for most of this time.  And on the topic of trips away, the kids have been away with my wife in Menorca over half term.  I missed them but did take the time to catch up on Breaking Bad.

Anyway, before I go to bed, a quick update on Chess and Arsenal.  I have taken part in the following tournaments.
3|0 3 check tournament
1st Klingon Open
336 hours to make up your mind (2)
Essex County Open 2016
1st Essex Open
33rd Chess.Com thematic tournament Gruenfeld 1401-1600

As for Arsenal, I did not expect the team to be as doing as well as it has been.  We have ridden out luck, and while I hope this continues, I am aware that it will not.

Drain the swamp

I am disgusted that a man who has either lied to lawmakers, or been very stupid about the meaning of terms, has been elected to the supreme court in the USA.  In his testimony about allegations of sexual assault, Brett Kavanaugh appears to have lied about some issues, "forgotten" others due to being drunk and also been unaware of the real meaning for phrases that he used.  

Why people doubt the testimony of someone who has not been shown to lie and believe someone who has is beyond me.  But I guess that is the how the swamp in the USA is to be drained of those with ethics and filled instead with predators.

The IHRA definition and Israel

It has been an interesting time for Labour.  The IHRA definition of antisemitism has finally been accepted.  There are fears however that this will prevent legitimate criticism of what is happening in Israel.  Sadly, not all the criticism is legitimate.  And while this may have helped a bit to try and close the sore that has been allowed to fester and remain open for so long, the actions of Labour in the party conference where Palestinian flags were allowed but EU flags were forbidden will not convince many that the party will call out injustice on both sides in the Holy Land, if it continues to occur, but rather will just castigate one side.

Let me first state that I feel that the oppression of Palestinian rights in the occupied territories by Hamas, Israel and Fatah is morally indefensible and I think that it is right to speak about this.  I also think that it is wrong to think that all the woes the the Palestinian people face are just due to Israel.

So let us look at what Israel has done that is good in the area.  LGBTQ rights exists in Israel that are not present in Gaza or the West Bank.  Women have more rights in Israel, and religious freedoms are protected there as well and people forget that Muslims living in Israel have more rights than those in the many nations surrounding Israel, including more rights than Hamas and Fatah allow Palestinians.  Both Hamas and Mahmoud Abbas while democratically elected, have exceeded the terms of office that they were elected to while Israel remains a democracy (though the current leader is one I despise).

But, there little excuse for Israel acting the way it does in the occupied states.  Some of the restrictions on the movement of Palestinians can be justified based on security but the theft of land in the West Bank for settlements is inexcusable. While Israel argues that this land is not used by Palestinians, that is untrue.  

The issue of the Right Of Return is a contentious one.  Allowing Jews with an ancestral right to return to Israel is right, but only if the same right is given to the Christians and Muslims who used to live in Palestine. Two examples of this are two villages, Iqrit and Kafr Bir'im. 

I have had discussions about this with people on both sides of this debate. Some have repeated a lie that Jews have no historical link what is now the Holy Land. Others have not been so rabidly insane/antisemitic but they have not been willing to say what should happen to Jews who now reside there.  And on the other side of the argument is the fact that there has never been a Palestinian state.  Some use this to justify the refusal to allow Palestinians a state.  But this does not mean that people should be evicted from land just because they are Christians or Muslims.

But to the picture that is present in this blog.  There is a claim that Israel is a racist state (as opposed to a nation that is trying to combat racism).  Up until this year, it was easy to point out that it is not, examples being how Israel has had a black Miss Israel,Yityish Aynaw, as well as the rights that Muslims and Christians have which Muslims do not have in other nations.  Up until this year that is.  

In summary, the situation in the Holy Land is not a binary one like I thought it was in the past. It is complex and is made worse by extremists on both sides.  I do want to know if those who support Israel fully support the oppression of Christians who are Palestinians and I do want to know what those who are against Israel think of the lack of LGBTQ rights in the Palestinian Territories. 

Fatigue

The kids are in bed now.  Both are tired and have had a busy day.  Last week, my son sat the eleven plus, while my daughter was at a sleep over.  It is hard to determine how he did, but he appeared find about it.  While we tried to get him to relax afterwards we later found out that a friend of ours quizzed their child about what the questions were, what they thought the answers were, and then told them that they probably failed!

On Sunday morning, my son and I went for a bike ride.  We had not done so in a few weeks, and this one was interspersed with stops to play Pokémon GO.  He has wanted to do this for a while, but doing so when people are in town is not a good idea.  Doing so before people go into the town centre though is a different matter as then he cannot cycle into them.  That and there is less traffic. 

On Wednesday, I got a new car.  It goes broom and is a lot more enjoyable to drive than my last car. Though my last car had key less entry and ignition.   I have been making a mistake with this every day since then, but it is so much fun to drive.

And on that topic, both children had parties to go to, my son in the afternoon, my daughter in the evening.  After collecting my son, we went for a drive and ate dinner in Earls Colne.  After returning home (our fuse box had blown due to an issue with the central heating circuit). I went to collect my daughter.  And we went for a drive afterwards where she got to listen to music and I had fun driving.  Though my excuse was that I wanted to fill up my car!

Anyway, they are in bed now, though sending them to bed was complicated by them being tired.

I believe her

It has been an interesting month for sexual assault.

In the USA, allegations have been made against a Conservative judge, a man who has been nominated for the supreme court.  It is a case of he said, she said, or in this case, he said, she, she and she said.  Like with such cases, the odds are that we will never know the truth of what has happened as everyone has a tale to tell, and time has passed.  The odds of everyone being honest about what happened at the time are low.

What I can discuss though are my views on this.  In my life, I have met both men and women who have been assaulted or raped.  Not everyone reported it, and while the law now takes allegations more seriously in most cases, convictions, which rightly require proof beyond reasonable doubt, are low.  The women who I have met who did not want to press charges experienced issues such as self blame but mostly shame.  In order to discuss press charges, they would have to admit it themselves.  One woman actually said that before she was raped, she never believed women who did not report it at the time or who did not fight back.  But despite saying that she would have fought back before she was raped, she froze.  And afterwards, she did not report it, only accepting what had happened the day afterwards. 

Yesterday, in testimony, two people told two different versions of events that happened many years ago.  One has taken a lie detector test and has offered to bring in others as witnesses.  One has the backing of many women as character witnesses, though one has since changed her mind over that was written by him about her.  If I was on a jury, based on the evidence presented, I would have no choice but to find the man innocent, as I do not think that things can be proven beyond reasonable doubt. However, considering how the accused has defended himself, including the explanations for what he had written in his yearbook I still think that he is probably guilty.

I have seen how stressful it is for men and women who have been assaulted to describe what has happened to them.  No one would make up an allegation knowing how women who engage in sex are judged.

What was interesting, was despite the inconsistencies in the story of the Judge, was that his story appears to be designed to appeal to the Conservative right in the USA.  The Conservative Right who voted an adulterer into office in the White House over a woman who remain married to an adulterer.  The Conservative Right who back that adulterer and castigate a porn star for having sex with him. 

Just one day

It is the eleven plus tomorrow. One day and a decision is made to determine the secondary education of so many children. I have to admit I have mixed emotions. I think that it is unfair that there are Grammar Schools, but it is silly not to take the opportunities that they offer.  Anyway, my son wants to go to one, so my views on this do not really count. It is his views on the matter that are more important. And his happiness.

My son caught the plague

It is the run up to some exams soon and my son has been ill.  He was ill on the weekend and has had a day off unwell this week.  My daughter spent the weekend trying to avoid him, but was stricken down with it herself and had to have a day off school as well this week.  So far, unlike my amazing wife, I have managed to avoid it. There are advantages to spending all my time at work after all! 

Moltres Day

Today, my son and I went out for a long walk.  Since he has been playing this, he has started to walk a lot more.  Before we played this, we did not walk that much, in fact, he would always do his best not to walk.  While I credit PokémonGO with encouraging him to walk a lot, he has improved when it comes to exercise in many ways, an example being how he is playing cricket.

Anyway, this was something that we had been looking forwards to for a while, as we had missed the previous days which dealt with two other legendary Pokémon.  My son called a friend, whom we had been out with on another day before, and he in turn woke up his mother and dragged her out of bed (she had the option to have her first lie in for a while due to her work) to take part in this.  Anyway, we all had fun catching them and he was amazing with how far we walked.

Afterwards, we had lunch near Ipswich, bought some non-alcoholic beer and on getting home relaxed watching Strictly Come Dancing, and we watched the end of a disappointing episode of the X factor.  While it may not look like we did much, I do think that it was an enjoyable day for all, it just does not appear so when I type it up!

   

Invasion Colchester 2018

My son and I had a good weekend together. On Saturday, an event called Invasion Colchester occurred.  We enjoyed the event last year, my daughter seeing part of it. But that was not the case this year and while she stayed at home, my son and I walked in to Colchester. We had a great time, he had his picture taken with an Ewok and Doctor Who. He got to learn how guns were fired during the English Civil War, and, much to the annoyance of his sister, he got to have fun on the boating lake.  It was not as good as he hoped as his boat was not working as well as he liked, but the staff changed it and he got to try a different one.

It was great seeing Stormtroopers in town along with other characters from science fiction and fantasy.  What was nice was seeing that most of the princesses that came to town were Belle's.  I love Belle as she is a princess who advocates reading, though I do like the later princesses as well, notably Elsa.  Seeing some of the cars reminded me of seeing Bumblebee in Sri Lanka on Christmas Day (ish).

On Sunday, we had dinner in Levington, a place we have not been back to in ten years.  The setting was lovely but the food did not compare to what we remembered in the past.  But my daughter wants to go for a walk there, so we may return.

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.

A week at school

In the last week, my son has had some fun at summer school which was around the corner from where we live, and he appeared to enjoy it.  This has allowed my daughter to enjoy social media and at times the hot weather as well.  Last night, after a blazing hot day it rained for the first time in ages and while this meant that we missed the lunar eclipse, it meant that my daughter spent time dancing in the rain.  Anyway, back to my son, over the last week he has been learning about crime and there was a court case yesterday. Today we got to spend some time together which we both liked, and neither of us were fed to crocodiles,

Chess update, July 2018

I have realised that I have forgotten to post an update on how I have been doing at chess.  Which is not that good.  I have to get the kids to play it with me over the summer holidays.  But here are the online competitions that I have played in.
336 hours to make up your mind - finished 3rd, but there were only six players
33rd Chess.com tournament 1201-1400
A07 Kings Indian Attack - finished top, out of three players
39th Chess.com quick knockouts 1201-1400
36th Chess.com tournament 1303-1403
Chess.com University's 2015 World Cup - I used to be a member of this group but dropped out
Kings Indian Attack (I finished last)
Kings Indian Attack A07 - a tough tournament and finishing 8th out of 12, I felt was very good
30th Chess.com Thematic Tournament - Catalan (1401-1600)
32nd Chess.com Thematic Tournament - Sicilian (1201-1400) - finishing 12th considering the number of players was a big thing for me. I have never gone so far in one of the Chess.Com tournaments before.

Only a fool fights in a burning house

Labour is facing an interesting time.  There are calls from those considered far left to purge the party of Brownites and Blairites. In addition to this, there are calls by some who feel as if they are to be purged to leave the party and set up a new socialist party, but one that is more centrist.  I guess that this party would be the new SDP. 

What those who are calling for defections, or a purge, forget is that the party needs to work together to bring about a United Kingdom that is FOR THE MANY. A party that cannot accept differences within itself in a civil manner is one that will not be able to convince those that have not voted for it in the last election, to vote Labour.  In the UK, we already have a centrist party, they are called the Liberal Democrats.  We do not need another.  Any spilt, or purge will result in another Conservative government, and we know what that will mean for the armed forces, the NHS, the police, those on benefits, the disabled...