I thought I’d flounce in, armed with my newly-reset Google password access, sleeves rolled-up, all purposeful and actiony! I’d throw open the curtains, let in some air of freshness, set the dust bunnies all a tizz...
Um.
The dust bunnies look so cozy all clumped in the corner, snoring away, oblivious-like. I just watched the Gmail account stretch languidly on the sofa, comfortable in the certainty that if you’re quiet for long enough, even the spammers go away. I’m not sure I’m even s’posed to be here?
The
Foxy Lady and the
Koo extricated a pledge of sorts. A blog post by year end.
Nitpick ye not! At time of typing, six hours and fifty-three minutes of 2013 are yet to tick in Pago Pago, American Samoa.
.........................
In September we had a Grand Adventure.
In the three days before the Mr and I hauled three kids and four pieces of luggage on to a plane Europe-bound, I:
• smashed the car and made it die;
• noticed $4,000 had been stolen via my credit card;
• caught some Hacking Flu-like Thing;
• spread Hacking Flu-like Thing with (unintentional) wild abandon (including, seemingly, via the phone).
On the day that the Mr and I hauled three kids and four pieces of luggage on to a plane Europe-bound, I:
• had the gut-wrenching realisation that some ridiculous airline policy involving non-opening windows, dictated that
jelly snakes would not see me through a lengthy bit of kid-accompanied travel which made previous camping commutes look a breeze.
29 hours after the Mr and I hauled three kids and four pieces of luggage on to a plane Europe-bound, I:
• (and the Mr and the three kids and the four pieces of luggage) arrived at the house of my inlaws;
• could not access my multi-currency passport account to pay for a Grand Adventure;
• wistfully reminisced over the cancelled credit card;
• began to take pictures.
’Scuse me, while I rummage around in the cupboards looking for the bloggy gadget that attaches 1,071 holiday snaps...
1. We arrived as Summer wilted away:
2. For good times with beloved ones:
3. Fossicked for fossils on the
Jurassic Coast and met two Real
Ichthyosaur Hunters who offered excellent hunting-type tips and gave the Middle Kid a fossilised (not fresh, obviously), Ichthyosaur poo:
4. The kids (and on occasion, me, when not perfecting plate-spinning skills) seemed to climb everything: quarries, bumps in the
Peaks District, even a Dutch
Ayers Rock (ironic on soooo many levels):
5. Many
museums visited:
6. Many
galleries visited:
7. Masterpieces of the
Louvre digested using inside-eyelid skillz:
8. Paintings of fame,
(Mona From an Angle), viewed:
9. Long-suffering hosts embraced hitherto unvisited
touristy haunts:
10. A trip to the
Beestenmarkt and a view from my own past...:
11. ...For the infamous
Kobus Kuch appel taart:
12. The kids embraced new cultures with raw herring aplomb:
13. Developed a touristy radar:
14. Made friends wherever they went:
15. Were impressed by the
Big Things (Don’t catch the lift! Climb the stairs!):
16. Most
17. Loved
18. The
19. Simple
20. Things:
21. As well as Parisian croissants
22. And
best ice cream ever-ever-ever tasted:
23. And quirky
chewing gum art:
24. (We searched the whole of the
Wobbly Bridge until we found the artists’ favourite piece: the 2013 Fried Egg):
1,071. Goodbyes always-always-always the hardest:
Hello 2014.
.........................
PS. Thank you JanetStuartHelen, JudeCharlesThomasElla, KerrieChrisBo, EllenAllardJorisSaar for your fabulous hospitality and wonderful company (even if my children now believe that EVERYONE in the WHOLE of EnglandHollandFrance ALWAYS eats dessert at EVERY meal). xxx
Way back, the original intent was for some out-of-character, understated, blankety loveliness. Elegant, textural, minimalist. EXACTLY LIKE KYLIE’S! (Love your blanket, K). 
