|
|
2010-04-01 - 8:06 p.m. ...Bristol... Have returned safe and sound from our excursion to Bristol - finding out along the way that Nicole is supposed to create a scrapbook of the exciting things that she does over the school holiday. Well thank goodness that something exciting was planned, otherwise the poor girl would have filling a scrapbook with "went to the library" "went back to the library" "went to the park" and many wildly exciting outings. But NO, she has train tickets to put in her scrapbook. And can choose from nearly 200 photos! Ok, most of those are for Sam... So I actually enjoyed Bristol. The ship is interesting (although the third hour of the ship was not as interesting as the excellent bread and butter pudding on sale at the cafe near the ship...don't tell Sam). The bridge was inspiring, but not the holding on to the side whilst standing on tiptoe to feel it wobble. ewwww. I am a super wimp for all those things. And scared of heights so the whole bridge over the Avon gorge was not something I was looking forward to, but truthfully, it was still cool. Meanie potatoes made me go into the scary cave with insanely scary lookout point over the gorge (I refused to leave the cave) but I do have the de rigeur photo of children eating ice creams in their macs in the rain. Because part of me revels in the English delight in ice creams on holiday regardless of weather conditions. Similarly we went on the open top bus tour, and at one point (in the rain) we were the ONLY people on the bus. Our own private bus. Kids loved that. And once I had swapped my hip but useless mac for my husband's ugly but mighty warm one, I too was enjoying the private tour of Bristol on my own bus. Went to bed at 9pm each night because we were all in one room, so lights out for kids and then zzzzzzz couldn't stay awake even though we wanted to. Which was good because HELLO it was daylight's saving time and we totally forgot. Good thing we were in a hotel that remembered. And that we had gone to bed at nine because we were awake at the right time despite losing an hour's sleep. Spent hours and hours at Bristol's science centre which is completely awesome. Kids got to make their own stop animation films because Aardman studios is in Bristol and has sponsored the whole thing. And there is a plantetarium (love those). And Bristol university has set up loads of experiments that everyone can do, using the entry ticket as your ID. I thought of teranika as I did the one that tested my reactions (couldn't cheat in the time honored way though). Had to DRAG Nicole and Sam out to go back to the ship to see what we'd missed, and then back on the train. We have pictures of Sam in front of no less that FIVE statues of Brunel. Amazing. Ben didn't come with us as he had county swim championships to go to, and was disappointed because he didn't swim his best, but even more so because the boy who won Ben's best race swum in a time 2.5 seconds faster and it is a 50 m race so that is (pick your own expletive here) fast. We will watch for this boy in a GB hat I think. So made it home late Sunday night just in time to start to cook for Seder on monday. Seder was fine except my father is not nearly so enjoyable a guest as my sister, and in fact had never been to a child friendly seder before (or one of mine which doesn't have that much Hebrew and frankly fewer songs)...But the FOOD was awesome if I do say so myself, and to me that is 90 percent - the other 10 percent being genuine grateful that I am free to marry my non-Jewish husband, live in a country other than my birth country and generally do whatever I like, including having the Seder I like. And as I told Ben, the grumpy "all religion is hooey" 13 year old (ok, fair enough he did not say "hooey" that was my censor), he is free NOT to believe in God and NOT to practice religion and still free to eat the food. (And I am free to make him the wicked son... hahahahahahaha) Off to sort out Bristol photos... leave a note
holidays 2010.... - 2010-12-26
|
