Just Humans Being...

The day after we arrived in the Alps, we were driving up a mountain pass near our campsite & the power steering in our car failed. The steering wheel suddenly became heavy & it was quite terrifying... We were high up, the pass was steep with severe bends and it seemed like we were stuck. Luckily, there was a lay-by & enough room on that bit of the pass to gradually turnaround. Sime switched on our hazard warning lights & we very slowly crept back down the pass. At this point, Sime believed our holiday was over, or at the very least - our car had had it...  I, on the other hand remained optimistic, all would be fine & felt sure a miracle would happen! I also thought it might be quite nice to extend our holiday while the car was being fixed. The main thing was - We were safe, the car was still in one piece & we had got back to the campsite. Here's what happened the next day... We didn't know at the time, but we were watching two golden eagle

Our wonderful overnight residence in Chaussin, Jura... We loved this little campsite & intend to visit again in the near future - it has tipis & safari tents for rent, as well as these fab little caravans. The owners are quite alternative & the site just has a great feel. They have a natural water source which is solar heated for the sinks & showers & there is a great emphasis on recycling.  Saying goodbye to the horses in the field next to our caravan... Beginning the climb into the mountains of the Jura... So many stunning gorges... And quirky villages... Great to get off the beaten track, after 2 days of motorway driving... It might not look it, but it's a long way down! On the other side of the mountains, we hit Nyon on Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) & headed to Lausanne. Very nice... After avoiding Lausanne city centre, we moved on to Montreux - following one of many electric trams... And eventually c

Hello! Can't believe it's a month since we last posted... Since then, we've had a fantastic holiday - a road trip through France, into Switzerland, Italy & Germany. We returned home to a broken desktop computer & a laptop that wouldn't work properly, but Hugo clicked on a couple of things & here we are! We have tons of photos & videos to share, the weather was incredible from the moment we set off, the scenery was breathtaking, the mountain passes were terrifying, but it's been an amazing adventure! Kay & Sime xx

We are off on a European road trip soon & are feeling quite excited! When we first organised the trip - we visualised a gentle run up, a slowing down of work & an immaculate house... Instead it has become chaotic & the complete opposite!  We have taken on extra work & can't believe just how crazy life has become (of course those of you who have read our blog for a few years will know this is pretty normal for us), but we had hoped this time would be different... Not only is there work, but there's Bebe in the mix... Little does she know that we will have to take her with us to do a couple of jobs at the weekend, yes we are going to be working every day until we go away with little time to organise Bebe's clothes (which need labelling, as previously - lots of her clothes have gone astray), then there's all her medication to be ordered... Our sleeping bag needs washing, stuff getting together, food for our journey (not so easy when you live &

Hello! At last, it feels like we have finally found the right balance of work, Bebe, home & play... It's been a tiring few months of trying to do far too much, while coping with Bebe, who after the initial honeymoon period - has struggled to settle. We realise that she will never truly feel at home & instead, she talks of going home on a daily basis.  We have thought on many occasions since Bebe moved in with us that we have perhaps made a mistake bringing her here & that she would in fact be happier in a care home with people her own age. When she's with us, she often tells us that we are boring & that she is bored... She doesn't want to get involved in anything & her ability to concentrate is very poor. There are fleeting moments when she snaps out of her misery & 9 times out of 10 - it's because we put her music on.  We decided that for Bebe's wellbeing & our sanity, she needed to increase her days at daycare. First she did 3

We've almost prepared the house ready for Bebe's arrival - most importantly, her room is ready... She will be going into our guest room, so we haven't had much to do in there. We've put her photographs up on the walls, put her CD player in place, clothes in the wardrobe & drawers, but kept it simple & clutter free. When Nan was with us, we made her room into a comfortable bedsit, but she tended to stay in there & almost cut herself off from us at times...  We want to encourage Bebe to spend time downstairs, she'll have the sitting room more or less to herself if she wants some peace & we've brought her TV down, so she'll be able to watch all her musicals again... She lost the ability to use her DVD & CD players a while ago, which was really sad - she loves music & we'll make sure she gets plenty of opportunities to enjoy them all again!  Lupe's already made himself at home & seems to be loving Bebe's

We were going to be having a New Year holiday with the kidlets... All of us are saving, but Sal has a new job in Bristol & she can't get time off over the Christmas/New Year period, so it looks like it will have to be during February half term next year. The new plan is for the rest of us to go up to Bristol over New Year for a few days, so we'll see what happens... We are really upset with ourselves, as we've been so busy that we've forgotten not only several friends' birthdays, but also Grandad Gerry's (Sime's Dad) birthday too... All within the last couple of weeks, we can't believe it! So we need to make amends & hopefully will find gifts in Truro tomorrow, though our time is limited - we're running the home education group until 3pm & have to be at our local transition meeting at 7.30pm. Then we have 3 full days of work...  It's all systems go, as usual!    I can't ever remember being so busy at this time of y