new school year.......new school ...again!!!!

Well here we are in Kentucky, new school, new friends, even a new Kindergartener!! By all accounts a great first day all around, Maddie couldn't get that grin off her face and was full of news when she arrived home starving and tired!! and Tyler had taken up soccer at recess and made new friends who he was excited about and loves his new teacher (so far!!!) I on the other hand tried very hard to fill the hours that went by very slowly today:-) School should help us all start to get settled and start feeling like we have a new 'home'. Love to one and all, miss you all
Heidi Jamie Tyler and Maddie xxx

China Has Become Singapore!

Well, the little House Gascoins have happily adopted their new country, as can be seen from the patriotic flag-waving (it's National Day here on Sunday and flags are infesting every non-moving object at the moment). We are squatting in serviced apartments until our apartment is ready in a couple of weeks...Kevin has started school, and I am exploring with the kids and trying to find iron grille manufacturers to childproof our new 9th floor balcony. Had a wonderful time at the zoo today, and became a member so we can go whenever we like...there is a fabulous water play area there which makes it worth going to every week. All coping with the heat very well, the jetlag was worse - Felix has only just stopped going to bed at 1.30am! We are enjoying being with our friends from Thailand, Barry and Leah and their two boys, again - they've just moved here too, and it's great to have friends to play with!
Anyway, love to all - we should become regular posters now that a) the blog is no longer blocked to us (thanks, China Netnanny) and b) I no longer have to go out to go to work ( I hesitate to say I'm not working after the last few days spent on my own with the kids!!)
The SIngapore Slingers
xxx

So Long Clem...

We thought Clem's passing should be commemorated by an entry on the Blog, so here's a pic from 2001 on the Farm. Bye Clem: you were much loved by lots of us - now go curl up with Ginger one more time...

Tim Time

Oh to be 14 again...Tim's summer started with receiving the Principal's Award from school and his Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award...and then after a few days recuperation from parental adulation, he's off to Camp for the next month. The pic is of his cabin that he shares with eight other kids...all mod cons, including a picturesque out-house that's a long walk thro bear-infested woods and is graphically called a "long-drop"...I have a horrible feeling that when we collect him next month, he's going to be taller than me too! Love C, D, P and in absentia T

A lesson to all .......

.......don't show off, especially when you're old enough to know better!

My turn

One point for each location.

Where were we?

So: where were we last week? Lots of visual clues...and the region will suffice!

Love, C&D

Happy Birthday Pop

Thinking of you today, as always.
Love, Chip, Dara, Pip & Tim

Happy Birthday, Pop - All love always, Bev

Race For Life

Spot the Gabi! We both did the Race For Life (cancer research) last week but I was at the back with the walkers who obviously didn't merit a photograph!

Cottage Opening - Summer's Here!

Here in the Colonies (the Loyal Colonies, that is!), we celebrated Queen Victoria's Birthday last weekend. This is the signal for all woodsmen to open up the cottage and see what the ravages of winter have wrought. In our case, the ice break-up on the lake has taken away our dock - no easy feat when the thing is 8 feet by 20 feet! No sign of it so far, despite scouring the lake by canoe and boat. Meantime, the woods are sprinkled with white trillium - not as colourful as the bluebell woods, but still very pretty. The weather is all over the place: zero on Sunday, 28C today. And the blackfly are carrying off anything smaller than a mastodon: Bev - you wouldn't last 5 seconds! Hope all are well. Now go raise glasses to Queen Vicky!

Love C, D, P & T

Bluebells

Bluebells in Badby woods last weekend, and building work at Foxgloves so far.

More Running Robinsons

It was the Yonge Street 10K race today. All three boys ran and turned in impressive times but honours go to Tim who came 5th in the official rankings for his age. Which means he gets an award of some kind and he was only 20 secs away from winning $100! Pop Jim would be smiling.

Chris is happy too because he beat Pip for the first time since 2006 (all that Marathon training!).

And Pip is happy because, after being out on the town last night and a surfit of chicken wings and beer, he managed to run at all!

Here are the official results:

Chris: 40mins 31 secs. Placed 323 out of 13,000 runners and 11th in his age category.

Pip: 42mins 23 secs. Placed 535 out of 13,000 runners and 32nd in his age category.

Tim: 43mins 43secs. Placed 751 out of 13,000 runners and 11th in his age category by "chip time" but 5th overall in the official race "gun time" and one of the 5 award winners.

So Pip has to look over his shoulder for Tim next year, by which time Tim will also be looking down on Chris judging by the height difference....

Love to all from Canada

Boston Marathon

Just a quick pic of post-marathon Chris, being very pleased with himself after completing the Boston Marathon this week! Tick another of life's little ambitions off the list.

Easter Outing 2

Where were we and what on earth did we think we were doing??

PS It's my Boston Marathon on Monday so my next posting maybe Posting Mortem...!

Easter outing to ......?

OK, Chip - name the rock and where we were. (I know you'll get this straight away - don't know why I bother really.)

10 Today!!!

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

Lots of love from everyone in Spratton and Guilsborough. XXXXXX

Jamaica...no problem Mon!!!!

Just a couple of pics of our recent travels :-) everything in our house is now 'no problem Mon!!' we are all suitably rested and ready for Dad to arrive and celebrate Tyler's upcoming Birthday with us all (double digits can you believe that!!) Hope all is well with everyone far and wide, love to you all Heidi and gang xxx

Quiz time again!

This is a really difficult one which Chip will never get, so come on, Pete, you can do it, I know you can!

The guy in the picture with us was one of the farmers who made the discovery in '74.

WHERE ON EARTH ? QUIZ TIME AGAIN.

HI BEEN OUT HILL WALKING FOR THE DAY TODAY...ME AND TOD.... LEFT HOME AT 7AM GOT BACK AT 5PM AND THE WALK TOOK 5PLUS HOURS.. WHERE WAS I ? AND ON WHAT HILL..? IF YOU GET THIS RIGHT I AM GIVING UP..

PETE THE PILLOCK.