Happy New Year from Canada

Happy New Year from Canadian Family Robinson at the Cottage Gathering! Looking forward to seeing everyone this time next year. xxx

Galapagos

Our Galapagos trip was as wonderful as we had hoped it would be...It has been on our Bucket List forever. The wildlife is weird: tropical penguins, flightless cormorants, marine iguanas, vampire finches... And it as all fearless - often you have to step over or around the giant tortoise or Galapagos sea lion. In the sea, it is just as amazing: we snorkeled within inches of sharks, penguins, iguanas, sea lions and giant manta rays. And those blue-footed boobies are the cutest of all...

Poland

Just back from Poland.......thought-provoking, sombre, uplifting, inspiring. We must never forget to count our blessings.    xxxxxx

Euro Family

Tim and Maddy's Excellent European Adventure has continued through Italy, Monaco, France, Spain and Morocco to Portugal where they are enjoying family hospitality with J, C & M in the Algarve. They have coordinated with Tyler to descend on our Portugeezers as you can see from the top pic. Earlier, Pip flew down from Zurich to spend the weekend with them in Seville, as per photo #2. Next on the itinerary is Lisbon and Porto before they fly back to Toronto on Aug 16th. Will get T to post a few pics on his return!

Euro Bro's

Tim and Maddy are having a great time on their three month Grand Tour of Europe... So far they have visited Rome, Sicily and Tuscany. Pip and Anneli joined them for a weekend in Florence, as you can see. Now they are off to Venice, whilst Pip and Anneli are on Mykonos and Santorini in Greece for 10 days. These Europeans have a good life!

Returned from a fascinating two week trip around Ethiopia - a truly different country! No war, no famine...but wonderfully hospitable people from the 7 million in Addis Ababa to the remote Hamer people in the southern Rift Valley. Dara danced with the Dozer people, I made friends with Kalashnokov-toting Tigray scouts and we both did David Attenborough impressions among troops of Gelada baboons. Brilliant!

Old Ruins

Spent a lovely couple of weeks touring old ruins in a twin centre UK and Greece trip: Stonehenge, Pete, Paul & Bev, and Ancient Messene!

Happy Memories

Happy memories of feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square...1962 maybe...Always remembering.

ITS HER BIRTHDAY TOO   ! ! !

SPRING CLEAN FOR MOTHERS DAY..

I WAS GOING TO TITLE IT   '  KATE GETS A BRAZILIAN  ' BUT THOUGHT BETTER OF IT 

Family Wedding in the Dominican Republic

Just back from the spectacular wedding of Dara's nephew Chris to the lovely and bubbly Cheizi! The bride's family have an amazing plantation property up in the mountains of central Dominican Republic above the town of Jarabacoa - and that's where the wedding took place. It was several days of delightfully Dominican chaotic celebrations with family and friends from all over the world. Dara, Tim, Maddy and me travelled there via the beach destination of Samana on the north coast. It was lovely to reconnect with the Beard side of the family: Paul, Chris, Rob, Jenny, Christel and there were friends, partners and relatives from all over the world.

........and we saw the light(s) !

Doggin' in thr Arctic!

Happy New Year to all of you from all of us!  xxx