Scotland

Just back from a few days' break north of the border in Edinburgh - lovely city which we never had time to explore when Pop used to dash us through on the way to Banff and the salmon! Top pic is self-evident but where/what is the bottom amazing piece of engineering?

Christmas 2011

All those in favour of a Christmas get-together please sign in comments box, together with any suggestions as to venue.

A GAY TRIP ...WITH A QUEEN...OOOOPS ! !

PETE AND PAUL UPDATING FROM RECENT EXCURSION A SHORT FLIGHT TO L.A. TO PICK UP QUEEN VICTORIA THEN SET SAIL FOR THE SANDWICH ISLANDS ! ! ! (ASK CHIP) I NOW GO BY THE NAME OF MR. BLOBBY...ALL 14 STONE OF ME..... IT MADE THE WHALES FEEL MORE AT HOME WITH ME ANYWAY. HAD SOME GREAT TIMES...STILL LIKE KAUA BEST AS AN ISLAND...PROBABLY SENTIMENTAL REASONS HUH ..CHIP.... DID FIND OUT... TOO LATE.. THAT THE LOCAL DRIVERS WERE OFFERING TRIPS ON BIG ISLAND TO VIEW FLOWING LAVA ! ! ! VERY VERY PEAVED THAT I DID NOT PICK UP ON THIS UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE.. HEY REASON TO GO BACK....HAD TROUBLE IN ENSENADA MEXICO.... PAULINE TOOK ON THE LOCALS IN A TAQUILA DRINKING COMPETITION...AND LOST.. SO WE COMMISERATED WITH A COUPLE OF MARGARITA'S AND THEN LOST (A COUPLE OF DAYS!!) ANYWAY A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL WE THINK....TRUST EVERYONE IS BETTER THAN GABBI IS AT PRESENT...GET WELL SOON. DOES ANYONE HAVE THOUGHTS OF A GET TOGETHER THIS XMAS ? IF SO PLEASE OPEN A DISCUSSION GROUP SOON...OR SEND A POST CARD TO....

LOVE TO ALL PETE AND PAUL. X X

PHOTO TITLES

TOUR GUIDES...HONEST.

BIG PONCHO ! !

WHALE WATCHING ?

SAGA ALOHA !

Tim Rock Star

Tim (guitar) and his mate Justin (drums) were invited on stage at the weekend with Hugh Dillon (vocals) to jam in a pre-concert rehearsal at a huge downtown concert venue. Hugh is a well-known actor and singer with his own band in Canada (see www.hughdillon.com ) so Tim is still buzzing about the experience!

THE FLAT LATEST

ALMOST COMPLETE NOW ......ANY TAKERS ?

PETE

Portugals Update

Maxs Birthday Bash
Max´s "rent a brother" Logan

Firstly Happy New Year to you all from the Portuguese Clan. It´s good to see what everyone was up to over the Holiday Season !

We had a very quiet one in the bitterly cold UK, Great Yarmouth to be exact.......Both Max and Clare were ill with the winter flu that has been sweeping through the UK, so in the end was a very low key affair ! I managed to survive only with slight sniffles and sore throat, so very lucky !

New Year was passed with clients of mine ! as unluckily Matt, Kayley and Logan (see above) were also ill last minute for our planned New Years bash........

So now back to work, things still quite quiet continuing on from 2010, but here´s looking forward to a more productive 2011 ...... good news is that Clare booked us yesterday to Mexico at the end of this month, so looking forward to Riviera Maya visit, we have luckily found direct route from Lisbon to Cancun, 7 nites all inclusive at the
http://granbahiaprincipeakumal.com/ so looking forward to a little winter R and R.

Max is already planning snorkeling, kayaking and "maybe a jet ski? Daddy :), Clare I am sure is planning Mai and Tai and the sunbed twins for a week !

Good Luck Sis on the house front.......was that Fl. calling ???? You know you are always welcome to stay in out apartment for a few months while you get yourself sorted !

M and D, glad to hear you had a great time packing for the Scholtens in Kentucky with a little time for house repoairs thrown in ! Mum you must be madly looking on the cruise possibilities and you have NOTHING booked for February !!!! LOL

Love to all in all corners of the globe,

The "Porkies"

Oh Bugger!!

Well here is what was going to be our new house! I'd better get off the computer and go find us a new place to live .................... update later H x

THE GRISWOLDS FAMILY XMAS...

JUST BACK FROM OUR XMAS TRIP TO KENTUCKY....MANAGED TO MISS BAD WEATHER IN THE UK BY SKIN OF OUR TEETH AND KENTUCKY HAD AN ICE STORM JUST AS WE ARRIVED... SO WE COUNTED OUR BLESSINGS.. THREE WEEKS JUST FLEW BY. AM NOW EXPERT AT AMERICAN FOOTBALL AND ALL THINGS KENTUCKIAN .. INCLUDING THE KENTUCKY DERBY.....WANT A TIP FOR NEXT YEAR ? JAMIE RECOVERING WELL FROM EYE SURGERY TO RELEASE PRESSURE BEHIND HIS EYE.......HOUSE MOVE WAS GOING WELL....IE PRESENT HOUSE ALL SOLD AND CONTRACTED AND NEW PLACE ALL MOVING IN RIGHT DIRECTION.... (BEARING IN MIND COMPLETION AGREED FOR 01/02/2011 ) THEN WE HEAR TODAY ITS BURNT DOWN LAST NIGHT ! ! ! HEIDI WANTS TO KNOW IF ITS A SIGN ....... SO SHE IS NOW FRANTICALLY LOOKING FOR RENTAL PROPERTIES ! ! ! I SUGGESTED A TENT....BUT APPARTENTLY SHE'S NOT INTO CAMPING...AT LEAST I THINK THATS WHAT SHE SAID ! !COUPLE OF PIX OF XMAS DAY ETC. GLAD YOU ALL HAD A GOOD TIME.....OTHER THAN JAMIE CLARE AND MAX....BUT I WILL LET HIM EXPLAIN THAT..... AND HEY KIRSTY YOU STARTED THIS LARK....HOW ABOUT OUR ASIAN REPORT ? LOVE PETE AND PAUL XXXXX

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, one and all! Snow conditions perfect in Courchevel this year. Skiing. boarding, and sledging enjoyed by all, though by Gabi only for four days - rest of the time on crutches, which she did not enjoy (and is still not enjoying).
Finn celebrated his sixth birthday by getting his Level 4 skiing badge, and Jordan started boarding, very successfully, for the last three days of the holiday. Maizie skied on Dad's back and loved going up the drag lifts.
Nana did ski as well as taking photographs - Courchevel has good blues and greens!
Happy 2011 to you all,
Lots of love,
Bev

Latin America Sector Secure

The Canadian Contingent are pleased to report a successful campaign in the Latin American Sector and have now returned to Home Base. The Panama Canal is pacified (top), the alligators ambushed (middle) and the capybaras conquered (bottom). World domination continues to plan; how fares the other Sectors?

HAPPY XMAS EVERYONE..

JUST A QUICK NOTE TO WISH ALL A VERY HAPPY XMAS AND NEW YEAR WHERE EVER YOU ALL ARE ! ! WE WILL RAISE A TOAST AT MIDDAY OUR TIME WHICH PROBABLY CATCHES EVERYONE ON THE DAY.....HERES MY TAKE ON THE WHERABOUTS ::::: SO JAMIE CLARE MAX ARE LOOKING AFTER THE UK WITH CLARES FOLKS IN NORFOLK....PETE PAUL HEIDI JAMIE TYLER AND MADDY ARE TAKING CARE OF KENTUCKY.....BEV GABBI STEVE JORDAN HUCK AND MAISEY ARE PROTECTING EUROPE...WELL FRANCE ANYWAY....KIRSTY KEV IZZY AND HENRY ARE PARTYING IN SINGAPORE...OR DID I HEAR HONG KONG ? AND LAST BUT BY NO MEANS LEAST CHIP DARA PIP AND TIM ARE STRUTTING THERE STUFF IN PANAMA CITY DOES THAT COUNT AS CENTRAL AMERICA.. I GUESS... SO IF WE ALL USED A PINTZER MOVEMENT RIGHT NOW WE COULD PROBABLY TAKE OVER THE WORLD .... MIND WHO'D WANT THAT RESPONSABILITY ? HAVE A GREAT TIME AND DONT FORGET TO POST YOUR EXPERIENCES LOVE PETE ETC. X X X X CHEEEERS....

Grenada

Dara and I are just back from a few days in Grenada in the southern Caribbean for a Travel Show remote broadcast. It's good to be talking to the audience in Canada during a snowstorm there while we were perched on a bar built out over the Caribbean in 85F heat...Also had our wedding anniversary out there as you can see from this soppy photo of us at one of the tropical waterfalls on the island! Felt as though we could walk on water...

Not snow......but frost

We're having the most incredibly beasutiful winter; I can't remember seeing frosts like this for a long time. Bottom right is my rose bush which was still in full flower when winter suddenly came.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PIP WHAT A GREAT AGE TO BE... CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN... I WAS JUST THINKING ..TOMORROW I WILL HAVE BEEN MARRIED EXACTLY TWICE YOUR AGE ! ! ! ! NOW THATS A SOBERING THOUGHT....BUT HEY WHO SAID SOBER THATS THE LAST DESCRIPTION I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT YOU TONIGHT....SO GET STUCK IN MY BOY AND HAVE A CELEBRATION TO END ALL CELEBRATIONS ..WISHED WE WERE THERE TO SHARE IT WITH YOU ....CHEERS AND HERES TO AS NICER LAD THAT YOU COULD CARE TO MEET ! ! !

ALL OUR LOVE UNC PETE AND AUNT PAUL AND ALL THAT SHIT INIT ....

21 Today!

Many Happy Returns, Pip (though I'm in denial about those 21 years - it can't possibly be true!)
Have a great day,
Much love,
Bev and Co. xxxx

Pip's 21st Birthday

We celebrated Pip's 21st birthday in London where he's finishing his exams this week. And introducing Anneli, Pip's girlfriend, to the Robinson Family Blog (the social media equivalent to meeting the folks!). The bottom pic is just to show that the UK hasn't got all the snow...

Love from The Canadians

Back in the game !!!!

OK, firstly my apologies for being absent without leave since April, but had a few interesting things happen, including changing companies ! which is where all my details we left on my old computer !!!

So here goes, I now am happily employed in Quinta do Lago still selling (or trying to!) villas here but now I work directly for the resort ! Tough times but it is for everyone. so onwards and upwards is the continuing plan.

Clare now on her yearly 4 month sabatical, her job only starts again in March, so shes planning our holidays as I write, but she doesn´t realise that our budget is around €70 and Bognor Regis is looking good this year ! She had a busy year as usual and is looking forward to a break. We are at the "outlaws" for Christmas in sunny Norfolk, still the good news normally there is NO shortage of turkey over there !!LOL (even though Uncle Bernard (Matthews) passed away recently!)

The Maxster is on top form as a recent visit to the UK confirmed (ask Nanny and Bottletop!), loving his golf, we played a "big" course for the first time for his 8th (YES 8th!) birthday. The International school is superb we hear only rave reviews from both Max and his teachers so he´s obviouslyt NOT taking from his parents on that front! Also liking his footy and is playing for a local academy here near home, twice a week.

Outside of that life continuing ! we have had a few weekends away (see photos above, that´s Porto) and I have had a couple of extra (semi work) orientated visits back home which is always nice.

I hope all branches of the tree are keeping well, again my apologies. Please drop me a line to catch up now and again.

Love to all,

Jamie Clare Max Jack Jessie Pablo and Kitty (I think that´s all!)

jrobinson@quintadolago.com

Happy Memories

Pop

We love you Poppa Jim
xxxxxxx

November 28th

Four years on ......... still missing you so much.