Our wireless router died on the 26th Jan, and it only took until the 7th Feb for us to get a new one, albeit with a different provider. It's actually been quite painful to be almost completely without internet. I could maintain basic contact with FB via my phone, but it was a) limited and b) getting expensive.
Am back now, and over the past 2 weeks there has been a lot to be grateful for!
However, I can't do 2 weeks worth of posts, so am going to cover the edited highlights. My darling other half had his 40th Birthday at the beginning of last week. His parents had come down from up north to help with the celebrations, and to look after the kiddies for a bit.
As part of his celebrations, he liaised with another friend who is 40 next week, and organised for 3 couples to spend 3 nights in his favourite wine region in France - Saint Emilion, in Bordeaux. So, last Wednesday we all gathered at Gatwick airport, and boarded our flight to Bordeaux with huge excitement. It was a hair-raising take off, and landing due to the 50mph+ winds, but for two of the couples, it was 3 nights, and more importantly, 3 mornings without kids.
Don't get me wrong - we love our kids to bits, but this was the first proper mini holiday without, where we even appreciated the airport experience which for once didn't have the need to find entertainment, shepherd toilet breaks, have eye's like hawks and the general low-level constant pressure and stress that being a parent, especially in a public space can be.
And so, we departed, and arrived on a blustery rainy evening. It was a long cab drive to our Chateau, but boy, when we got there it was stunning! (possibly haunted too by a very clean ghost - self-flushing toilets, showers turning themselves on, bathroom lights with minds of their own, and, of course, footsteps!)
Saint Emilion is a wonderfully pretty French town, and we had the pleasure of seeing it in the beautiful winter sunshine - a bonus as the forecast had been for rain and gales.
To cut a long story short, we dined out at wonderful restaurants every night, consuming wonderful food and fine wine (perhaps a little too much of both, judging by our heads each morning, and the scales when I got back!) We laughed loud and long, relaxed, slept, read and thoroughly enjoyed life for 3 days. We toasted absent friends, and made new ones.
We arrived back yesterday, and that felt amazing too. Cuddles with the kids were priceless!
Today we had more celebrations, with more food, as it was my father's 87th birthday celebrations. A fantastic pub lunch, surround by family, and with the additional bonus of skyping with my sisters, one in Germany, and one in France.
Now, I feel ready to pop!
Tomorrow, I begin the process of trying to get back in shape. It's going to be hard work, but so much fun too!
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