Canadian Family Robinson returned this week from a cruise vacation around Cuba, including some days in Havana. It was so great to have all six of us together for ten days and introduce Tim's Maddy to the family dynamics for the first time - she passed her initiation with flying colours!  Here's the family portrait from the cruise. Now we are in thermal shock: from +30C to -30C in 3.5 hours... We toured Havana in classic convertibles from the 1950's, lazed on perfect white sand beaches, snorkeled the Meso-American Reef, visited four UNESCO World Heritage Sites and swam in an underground river deep in a cave system under the jungle. Fairly typical stuff for a Robinson jaunt!

New Cottage - January Update

The new cottage continues to take shape. Most of the outside work is complete - which is just as well as the temperature is down to the minus 30's with lots of snow. It's quite cosy inside now there's power and so the work goes on through the winter. The upper floor should be complete by the end of Feb and the lower floor by the end of April, ready for moving from the old cottage in May when the trillium bloom in the woods. I can almost hear the spring bird song now...no, wait...that's the sound of another 20 cms of snow falling...

Happy 2015 To One And All!

To all of you from all of us...Happy New Year and lots of love xxxxxxx

India and Nepal

Two of the highlights from our trip to India and Nepal last month: Mount Everest and the Taj Mahal. We cheated on the Everest approach of course, as we took the small plane flight out of Kathmandu along the Himalayas to within 5 miles of the summit...unlike the much more adventurous route taken by Bev! It was magnificent anyway and will keep me going until the day we visit Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side.  And it was so lovely to share the Taj Mahal experience with Dara. It has been almost 40 years since I was there in my backpacking days and I have always wanted to show her the most perfect building on the planet. It doesn't disappoint. If you are foolish enough to want to see more pics of the trip, I am putting them up on Pinterest and you can see them using this link; www.pinterest.com/TravelShow

New Cottage - October Update

Lots of progress on the new cottage build this month! Here's a pic from my kayak in the middle of the bay... It looks more finished than it really is of course, but it's just about closed-in now and weather proof. Lots to do on the interior now, from wiring and plumbing to kitchen and hot tub installation. The fall colours have been radiant this year, which has been very distracting! We have closed up the old cottage for winter for the last time and sometime in the spring when the new one is ready to move in, we will transfer everything across and knock the old one down. And then Chateau Robinson will open for family visitation!

I CANT IMAGINE WHAT ALL FUSS WAS ABOUT AT HELSINKI AIRPORT ! ! !

WHO KNOWS WHAT JAMIES HOLDING THEN ?

ANSWERS ON A POSTCARD TO  MR McGinley

THE BOUGHTON BUMS....

JUST A QUICK UPDATE FROM BOUGHTON       NOT POSTED FOR AGES     NAUGHTY BOY.....     APART FROM THE USUAL OBLIGATORY TRIPS I'M FORCED INTO MAKING TO VISIT MY OFFSPRING IN PORTUGAL AND FLORIDA (WHY COULD'NT IT HAVE BEEN AFGANISTAN AND UKRAINE FOR EXAMPLE )....BY PAULINE.  WE HAD A COUPLE OF FAR MORE  STIMULATING OCCURANCES RECENTLY...  ONE WAS A LONE VISIT BY TYLER FOR A STAY WITH THE OLD FOLKS IN THE UK....TO TRY AND BREAK HIS DRUG HABIT .....AND THE OTHER WAS A FATHER AND SON FISHING BONDING TRIP TO THE KOLA PENINSULE IN DARKEST RUSSIA.. WHICH WE FELT OTHER OUTSIDE INFLUENCES PUSHED US TO ARRANGE (THE JIM FACTOR)    SO JUST A QUICK DESCRIPTION TO COVER THE VARIOUS PHOTO'S POSTED   .   TYLER  WE DID A LONDON TWO DAY VISIT AND A FOUR DAY BARGE TRIP ON THE NENE OUT OF OUNDLE......   TOOK ME BACK TO CHILDHOOD DAYS ON BOARD ANNECY  ! !(JIMS OLD BOAT )         THE OTHER MORE RECENT FISHING TRIP  WAS..... FLY TO HELSINKI OVERNIGHT  THEN ON TO MURMANSK   FOR A NINE HOUR BUS TRIP TO THE VARZUGA RIVER ON THE WHITE SEA ON MOSTLY UNMADE ROADS ! !  STAYING IN CABINS WITH A RUSSIAN  COOK.....NOW I KNOW WHY THEY DRINK SO MUCH VODKA  ..ITS THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN EAT THERE FOOD ! !  AFTER FREEZING ALL DAY FISHING IT WAS VERY WELCOME TO USE THE BANYA   ...APPARENTY A RUSSIAN SAUNA WHERE YOU GET BEATEN WITH HALF A PINE TREE......WHILE YOUR SO HOT YOU COULD'NT CARE LESS ...   LIKE FOOLS WE LISTENED TO THE LOCALS WHO TOLD US IT WAS NORMAL TO THEN RUSH NAKED AS A JAY BIRD STRAIGHT INTO THE MIGHTY VARZUGA RIVER........WHAT THEY TOLD US AFTERWARDS WAS THAT NORMALLY TAKES PLACE IN JULY     ..NOT IN OCTOBER AT 8 PM IN THE PITCH BLACK JUST SIX WEEKS BEFORE THE WHOLE BLOODY RIVER FREEZES OVER ......THEY HAVE SAID IF THEY FIND THEM THEY WILL SEND THEM ON TO US !!!!!
ANYWAY ENOUGH MUTTERINGS FROM ME     HOPE YOUR ALL WELL AND ENJOYING LIFE TO THE MAX......KEEP US POSTED AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT MEETING OF THE CLAN McROBBO'S....

Cottage Update

Cottage update: lots of progress - but now we are in a race to beat the snow!

Well done, Iron Man Steve!

Congratulations on completing the Weymouth Iron Man on Sunday in 13:04........we're all very proud of you!

Guess who came to dinner with us................

 

................and read stories with me?

Cottage Build

 May

 Juune

 July

 Aug
Sept                              

This has been the Summer of the Build! We are building our new cottage in front of the old one which though much loved, is definitely feeling its age. As you can see, we have gone from grass to hole to filled hole to foundation to walls over the last few months. We will be ready for Robinson Visits by next summer for sure!

98 Years young........

Love you, Pop.  xxxx

It's all Greek to me!

Even older than I am!

Lovely weather, lovely food, lots of walking.

Anneli & I are UK bound!

Hi everyone!
Anneli and I are planning on being in the UK from Saturday, August 30 - Thursday, September 4th. Wanted to conduct a general census to see which, if any, Robinsons will be in the Country at that time..
Let me know, we would love to see anyone who will be around!

Greetings from Bali

Here for festival of Nyepi, day of silence.......don't know how we're going to cope, let alone the children! No noise, no lights, no leaving hotel......watch this space!

Happy Birthday Kate

Always remembering...  Story telling with Pip at Eastbourne Avenue in Toronto in 1996.

LOOKING SMART AND PRETTY FOR HER BIRTHDAY......WE MISS YOU LOADS...
                                                       LOVE PETE AND ALL    X X X X

Brief Encounter

It was lovely to see everyone last week!  Sorry it was so fleeting.  We are back to the winter that keeps on giving... minus 24 again yesterday... Photo credits to Finn for the bottom shot (that's the second photo, Pete, not the one of you mooning...)  Lots of love,  Chip & Dara